Not from “ Down Under ”: new synonymies and combinations for orb-weaving spiders (Araneae: Araneidae) erroneously reported from Australia
Author
Framenau, Volker W.
Author
Scharff, Nikolaj
Author
Levi, Herbert W.
text
Zootaxa
2009
2073
22
30
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.274799
0e1b792d-4d89-4bdd-a0d0-7e00640773b9
1175-5326
274799
Eustala mucronatella
(
Roewer, 1942
)
comb. nov.
Figs 4
A–H
Epeira mucronata
L. Koch, 1871: 74
–76, pl. 6, figs 2, 3, 3a;
Butler 1876
: 352
;
Karsch 1878
: 789
; (preoccupied by
Epeira mucronata
Blackwall, 1862
).
Aranea mucronatella
Roewer, 1942
: 830
(replacement name).
Araneus mucronatus
(L. Koch)
.
Bonnet 1955
: 547
.
Types
.
Syntypes
of
Epeira mucronata
L. Koch, 1871: 2
penultimate males,
4 females
, listed in L. Koch (1871) from “Neuholland” (NHMV 1826.
II.3
) (examined).
Description.
Female bleached, only bare indication of pattern on abdomen (
Figs 4
A, B). Abdomen pointed posteriorly with two posterior humps (
Fig. 4
E). Eyes subequal in size. Anteriors 1.2 their diameter apart, 2.2 from laterals. Posterior median eyes their diameter apart, 2.0 from laterals. Total length 4.6 mm. Carapace 1.9 mm long, 1.7 mm wide. First Femur 2.2 mm; third metatarsus 1.4 mm (most leg articles lost).
Remarks
. Somatic and genital morphology (
Figs 4
A-H), in particular the shape of the epigynal scape which projects anteriad (
Figs 4
F–H) leave no doubt that
Araneus mucronatellus
is a member of the American genus
Eustala
to which we transfer it here:
Eustala mucronatella
comb. nov.
The species is similar to
Eustala taquara
(Keyserling, 1892)
described from Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil
(see
Levi 2007
), but
E. mucronatella
differs by an additional abdominal hump between the posterior hump and the spinnerets, by a pointed epigynum scape (that of the
type
of
E. taquara
is blunt) and the shorter distance between the posterior openings of epigyne (
Figs 4
F–H). Pending a revision of the genus
Eustala
and the examination of additional specimens, there is a possibility that
E. mucronatella
is a variable specimen of
E. taquara
.