Arachnida: Opiliones: Assamiidae and Uphalangodidae")
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------------------------------------ - -"- DOI: 10.18195/issn.0313-122x.64.2001.153-158 Records of the Western Austral/an Museum Supplement No. 64: 153-158 (2001). Two new cave-dwelling harvestmen from Western Australia (Arachnida: Opiliones: Assamiidae and uPhalangodidae") William A. Shear Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 23943, USA. Abstract - Two new species of laniatorid harvestmen have been collected in the biologically significant caves of the Cape Range Peninsula, Western Australia. Dampetnls isolatus sp. novo (Assamiidae) has reduced eyes but is otherwise not especially adapted for a subterranean life; it has been collected in several Cape Range caves. Glennhuntia glennhunti gen. et sp. novo ("Phalangodidae") is a minute, highly evolved troglobite known only from Camerons Cave. Both species are likely rainforest relics. Some notes are provided on the Australian fauna of the harvestman Infraorder Grassatores. INTRODUCTION unknown (compared to its potential richness) at the Hunt (1991) noted that fewer than 200 species of time he began. He recognized the two species the arachnid order Opiliones (harvestmen, described below as new and determined the phalangids) had been described from Australia, a assamiid as a species of Dampetrus Karsch. I'm number he estimated to be no more than 20% of the honoured to be able to dedicate this brief paper to total fauna. Indeed, Hunt himself was the first and his memory last productive resident harvestman specialist in Australia, who had personally described a substantial portion of those species. His untimely SYSTEMATICS demise put an end to a succession of fine papers on the systematics of several Australian taxa, most Family Assamiidae Sorensen notably the Triaenonychidae, Neopilionidae and Subfamily Dampetrinae Sorensen Megalopsalididae. While taking notice of the richness of the Genus Dampetrus Karsch Australian fauna of the laniatorid infraorder Dampetrus isolatus sp. novo Grassatores, Hunt published little on them. Four Figures 1-3 families of the infraorder, Assamiidae, Podoctidae, Zalmoxidae and "Phalangodidae" have been Material Examined recorded from Australia. Four zalmoxid species, all in the genus Zalmoxis Sorensen, are known from Halo type Queensland, New South Wales, and the Kimberley 0, cave C-345, Cape Range peninsula, Western Plateau of northern Western Australia. Austribal- Australia, Australia, 22°05'S, 113°59'E, 6 September onius Roewer, with a single named species, is the 1989, R.D. Brooks (WAM T40676). only podoctid genus. The Assamiidae of Australia are dealt with in the remarks below under the Para types description of the new species, and likewise the Australia: Western Australia: Cape Range "phalangodids" under the description of peninsula: 1 <;(, cave C-103, 22°07'S, 113°59'E, 19 Glennhuntia glennhunti. August 1989, M. East (WAM T40675); 1 <;(, cave Specimens are deposited in the Western C-167, 22°09'S, 114°00'E, 21 July 1991, S. Brooks Australian Museum (WAM), Perth, and I thank (WAM 92/2125). Mark Harvey for making them available to me for study. Comments from two anonymous reviewers Other Specimens materially improved the manuscript. Australia: Western Australia: Early instar Glenn Hunt (1944-1999), whom I knew only assamiid specimens were taken in the following through correspondence, had produced a series of caves in the Cape Range, but because of their outstanding systematic papers on Australian immaturity, cannot be assigned to this species with opilionids, working on a fauna that was almost certainty: 1 juvenile, Cave C-187, 22°09'S, 114°00'E, 154 W.A. Shear 20 June 1989, M.S. Harvey (WAM T40672); 1 larger, spine-like granule at each summit. Area 2 juvenile, Cave C-65, 22°06'S, 114°oo'E, 27 June 1989, likewise. Area 3 narrower, swellings low, but with W.F. Hurnphreys (WAM T40673); 1 juvenile, Cave two large granules. Area 4 similar to 3, but C-179 (Wombat Hole Cave), 22°06'S, 113°58'E, 7 additional granule anterior to pair also enlarged. July 1989, R.D. Brooks (WAM T40674); 1 juvenile, Posterior margin of scute with 12-14 enlarged, Cave C-271, 22°OO'S, 114°04'E, 8 July 1998, R.D. acute, spine-like granules; posterior margins of Brooks (WAM T40679). free tergites similar. Chelicerae (Figure 2) robust, not sexually Diagnosis dimorphic, basal article with pronounced crest of Dampetrus isolatus differs from previously enlarged granules. Palpus (Figure 3) with described species of the genus in the strong trochanter bearing single large spine; femur with mesolateral spines of the palpal patella. While these ventral row of 9 spines, seventh and ninth from spines are present on some other Dampetrus, they base smaller than others, femur armed distolaterally are only about one-third the size of those of the new with large spine; patella with two large mesal species. spines, each bearing short macroseta, with two much smaller lateral spines, small mesoapical tubercle; tibia with two mesolateral macrosetae Description borne on low spines, long distal lateral spine with Male macroseta nearly equal its length, subtended by Scute length 3.0 mm, greatest scute width 2.1 small setose tubercle, series of five lateral spines mm, total length about 3.7 mm. Colour uniform with 3 proximal to major spine, 2 distal, tarsus with deep orange. Anterior margin of scute with five two lateral and two mesal macrosetae on low spines, two lateral on each side and one median tubercles, lateral margin with six additional spines, spine; lateral spines subequal to median spine, claw sickle-shaped, nearly as long as tarsus. angled slightly lateral (Figure 1). Row of 7-8 Legs typical of Dampetrus. Fourth coxae densely pointed granules just posterior to marginal spines. covered in blunt, elongate granules. Tarsal articles: Scute lateral margins diverging posteriorly to scute 6 (3), 12, 6, 7. area four; slightly rebordered, with submarginal Unfortunately the penis of the only male was lost row of granules; sharp angle in margin opposite during the dissection process. eye tubercle. Eye tubercle 0.4 mm wide, 0.15 mm long, low, with 3 or 4 indistinct acute granules Female over each eye. Eyes small, lightly pigmented. Scute length 2.75 mm, greatest scute width 2.0 Carapace area with scattered granules. Scute area mm, total length about 3.1 mm. Otherwise as 1 with paired low, densely granular swellings, described for male. Figures 1-3 Dampetrus isolatus sp. nov., male: 1, dorsal view; 2, chelicera, lateral view; 3, palpus, mesal view. Scale lines: 1.0 mm (Figure 1), 0.5 mm (Figures 2, 3). New cave-dwelling harvestmen 155 Remarks that can be well circumscribed, with the removal of Eleven species of Australian assamiids have been the originally discordant elements that have been described and another three undescribed species separated as the family Tricommatidae Roewer. have been noted (Hunt, 1991). These fourteen The family is easily distinguished from all others species are unevenly distributed among seven by 4-8 marginal spines on the front edge of the genera: Dampetrus has seven species and the genera carapace (Figure 1). The raptorial palpi (Figure 3), Euwintonius Roewer, Dampetrellus Roewer, often rather small and held crossed-over, are of the Eudampetrus Roewer, Cardwella Roewer, Octobunlls "grabber" type, with a sickle-like claw closing Roewer, Metamermeris Roewer and Anjolus against a spiny tarsus, which in turn closes against Goodnight and Goodnight are monotypic (of these the spiny tibia, particularly a distinctive, large, genera, it would appear from descriptions and distolateral spined process. The patella may be illustrations that only Metamermeris may be distinct unspined or bear two large spines, and the femur from Dampetms). carries a row of strong ventral spines that give it a The five named Dampetrus species were serrate appearance. Martens (1977) provided a surveyed and illustrated by Forster (1949, 1955). codified system for describing the palpal spination All are from eastern Australia (Queensland, New and noted that the assamiids he studied had a South Wales), except for the type species, unique structure in the male penis called a Dampetrus australis Karsch, which was recorded by "Stacheltrichter": a coarsely scaly, eversible funnel its describer (Karsch, 1880) as being from "Western surrounding the glans spine. Only a few forms have Australia," without further detail. Forster (1955) been examined for this particular feature, but it has found that Karsch's two cotype specimens actually been illustrated by Kauri (1985) for African species represented two species, the nominal one, and one and by Suzuki (1970, 1985) for southeast Asian later named by Sorensen (1886) as D. granulatus species. While the noted combination of carapace, Sorensen. Both of these species are found in palpal and genitalic characters will pick out Queensland and have not been collected since in assamiids, only the genitalic character can be Western Australia, so the questions originally regarded as reliable on its own - carapace spines or raised by Roewer (1923) about the provenance of the palpal configuration occur separately in some Karsch's original material remain. By "Western obvious non-assamiids. Australia" Karsch may not have been referring to Almost nothing has been published on phylogeny the present state of Western Australia, but to a of Dampetrus or of the Assamiidae. Originally, western section of Queensland. In any case, two assamiids were supposed to be close to the undescribed species of Dampetrus have turned up Podoctidae, another predominantly southeast Asian in the Kimberley Plateau (Hunt, 1991), so the group, but Adriano Kury (personal communication, genus does actually occur within the boundaries 2000) has tentatively allied them with the of the state, though these records are more than Stygnopsidae, Cosmetidae and Gonyleptidae of 1500 kilometres from the localities where the new Middle America. Roewer (1935) divided the family species described below was collected. into subfamilies, but these have proven to be highly The family Assamiidae was set up by Sorensen in artificial and probably do not represent 1884.