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NewsletteroftheAustralasianArachnologicalSociety

Australasian Issue 75 September 2006

Contents

Editorial………………………………………………………. 3 Membership Updates………………………………………. 3 Feature Article: of the Pilbara, Western by Brad Durrant………….……………………...………… 4 Postgraduate Progress Report: Systematics of the Western Australian Pirate Spiders (Araneae, Mimetidae) by Danilo Harms……….……………………...……...…… 5 Predation of Nephila sp. by Megadolomedes australianus (Araneae, Pisauridae) by Matthew Shaw……………………………………...... 10 Feature Article: The Huntsman Spiders (Sparassidae) of New Zealand by David Hirst, Julianne M. Waldock, Shaun J. Bennett and Grace Hall……...………………………...... 11 Recent Australasian Arachnological Publications………. 13

Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 2

THE AUSTRALASIAN ARTICLES ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY The newsletter depends on your contributions! We encourage articles on a We aim to promote interest in the range of topics including current research ecology, behaviour and of activities, student projects, upcoming of the Australasian region. events or behavioural observations.

MEMBERSHIP Please send articles to the editor:

Membership is open to amateurs, Volker Framenau students and professionals, and is Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates managed by our Administrator: Western Australian Museum Locked Bag 49 Richard J. Faulder Welshpool, W.A. 6986, Australia. Agricultural Institute Yanco, 2703. [email protected] Australia Format: i) typed or legibly printed on A4 email : [email protected] paper or ii) as text or MS Word file on CD, 3½ floppy disk, or via email. Membership fees in Australian dollars (per 4 issues): LIBRARY

The AAS has a large number of *discount personal institutional reference books, scientific journals and Australia $8 $10 $12 papers available for loan or as NZ / Asia $10 $12 $14 photocopies, for those members who do elsewher $12 $14 $16 not have access to a scientific library. e Professional members are encouraged to There is no agency discount. send in their arachnological reprints. All postage is by airmail. *Discount rates apply to unemployed, pensioners Contact our librarian: and students (please provide proof of status). Jean-Claude Herremans Cheques are payable in Australian PO Box 291 dollars to “Australasian Arachnological Manly, New South Wales 1655. Society”. Any number of issues can be Australia paid for in advance. Receipts issued on email: [email protected] request. Status box on the envelope indicates the last issue paid for. PDF-recipients will COVER ILLUSTRATION: A mimetid feeding on theridiid prey. be notified by email and mail when their By Danilo Harms subscription expires. Previous issues of the newsletter are available at www.australasian- arachnology.org/newsletter/issues. Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 3

EDITORIAL MEMBERSHIP UPDATES Again, this issue is a bit late (September instead of August) but I hope New Members the diverse and exciting contents will make up for the delay. As per usual, the Allen Rix Australian Arachnological Society is 114 Arnold St grateful to all who contributed to this Holland Park, Qld 4121 issue! More excitingly, I already have [email protected] articles for the December issue. Stay Lauren Keim tuned for an update on the taxonomy of School of Botany Australian jumping spiders by Marek University of Zabka. Parkville, Vic 3010 The date for the 17th International [email protected] Congress of Arachnology in São Pedro, Peter Lillywhite São Paulo, Brazil was announced Entomology/Arachnology recently. The meeting takes place from 5 Museum – 10 August 2007. Don’t miss out on early GPO Box 666E registration for this exciting event Melbourne, Vic 3001 (http://www.ib.usp.br/~ricrocha/ISA17/ISA [email protected] 17.htm). I have already bought a travel guide for Brazil and am taking Salsa Nick Drayson lessons in preparation! 9 Lailor St Ainslie, ACT 2602 Congratulations to Erik Volschenk and [email protected] Mark Harvey who snatched up a 3-year grant from the Australian Biological Wes Bancroft Resources Study (ABRS) for a project PO Box 1144 called ‘Systematic revision of the endemic Kalamunda, WA 6926 Australian Urodacus [email protected] (Scorpiones: Urodacidae)’. Erik will return to the Western Australian Museum Karen Edward towards the end of this year after a stint Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural Western Australian Museum History. Owen Seeman, Locked Bag 49 Museum, also pulled some money from Welshpool DC, WA 6986 ABRS for his project ‘Systematics of [email protected] Australian native and exotic Tetranychus Danilo Harms spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae)’. Fakultät für Biologie, Chemie und Congratulations! Pharmazie Keep the contributions rolling in Freie Universität Berlin (deadline for the next issue: 30 November Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3 14195 Berlin 2006). Cheers for now Volker Germany [email protected] Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 4

Spiders of the Pilbara, Western a twelve month period. The samples were Australia then sorted to major groups and the various components identified to species

level. Brad Durrant

Department of Environment and Conservation, [email protected]

Since 2003, the Pilbara region of Western Australia has been the focus of a major biological survey being carried out by the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation (formerly CALM) with assistance from the Western Australian Museum. The survey is aimed at providing detailed systematic information on the of the Fig. 1: The Pilbara region with the 306 region. This knowledge can then be used terrestrial sites. to better understand biogeographic patterning and ultimately improve the The task of identifying is obviously a approach and handling of conservation in mammoth one. The Western Australian the region. There are five major Museum (Mark Harvey, Julianne Waldock components of the survey: and Volker Framenau) will be identifying , Salticidae, and Lycosidae - Terrestrial fauna: vertebrates and the Queensland Museum (Robert and invertebrates Raven) is providing taxonomic assistance - Terrestrial flora with Miturgoidea. The American Museum - Wetland fauna: invertebrates of Natural History will be helping out with and waterbirds the soon to be released (and much - Wetland flora anticipated) revision of the Australian - Stygofauna Gnaphosidae (Vladimir Ovtsharenko) and the recently published revision of the Focal groups of the terrestrial Australasian Prodidomidae (Platnick and invertebrate fauna are ground-dwelling Baehr 2006). spiders, , beetles, bugs, ants The ground-dwelling spider and isopods. component is currently represented by 20 Throughout the 19 million hectares of families, dominated by Gnaphosidae, the Pilbara (almost the size of Victoria) Zodariidae and Zoridae (Table 1). It is 306 sites were chosen representing a anticipated that the final number will be cross-section of soil, climate and around 450-500 species, with around 80- vegetation types (Fig. 1). Five ethylene 90% of these unknown to science. Each glycol pitfall traps were installed at each site is expected to yield around 25-40 site to sample the invertebrate fauna over species. Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 5

Table 1: Pilbara ground-dwelling spider POSTGRADUATE families and their current proportions PROJECTS of species.

(Number of species in the Lycosidae and Salticidae still unknown.) Systematics of the Western

Family Species Australian Pirate Spiders Gnaphosidae 64 (Arachnida, Mimetidae) Zodariidae 60 Zoridae 37 Prodidomidae 29 Danilo Harms, Systematik und Evolution 18 der Tiere, Freie Universität Berlin, 18 Fakultät für Biologie, Chemie und 12 Pharmazie, Königin-Luise-Str. 1-3, 14195 others 29 Berlin, Germany [email protected] We still have a long way to go but we The Mimetidae, often referred to as Pirate envisage all our identifications will be Spiders due to the araneophagic completed in the first half of 2007, behaviour of most species, are an followed by data analyses and lots of enigmatic spider group with about 150 writing. Any taxonomic information that described species in twelve genera and a anyone feels may be of help to us would worldwide distribution (Platnick 2006). be greatly welcomed and if anyone has The Australian fauna is rich in species but any questions please feel free to contact is poorly known, both taxonomically and me. ecologically. Aggressive mimicry is part of the prey-catching behaviour of some References Queensland Australomimetus Heimer, 1986. It is characterised by a diverse Platnick, N.I. and Baehr, B.C. 2006. A array of vibratory behaviours to invade revision of the Australasian ground the webs of other spiders (Jackson and spiders of the family Prodidomidae Whitehouse 1986). Like most Mimetidae, (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea). Bulletin of Australian species prey mainly on Comb- the American Museum of Natural footed () and Orb-weaving History 298, 1-287. Spiders (Araneidae) (Figure on title page of this issue), although insects may occasionally form part of their prey. Check Mimetidae build a typical, drop-like http://www.naturebase.net/science/pilbara eggsac (Fig. 1) and a careful search _biosurvey.html nearby may lead to finding the mother of for more details on the Pilbara Survey of the clutch. Mimetidae are easily the WA Department of Environment and recognized by their cryptic behaviour, Conservation. resting with the forelegs angled forward and the hind legs attached to the substrate. Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 6

Although mimetids can be relatively Systematic position of the Mimetidae abundant in suitable habitats, they are generally collected only as single The systematic position of the Mimetidae specimens in pitfall traps or vacuum within a phylogenetic system of spiders samples. Turning over rocks or fallen has been subject to a long and vehement bark may also yield mimetids in areas dispute. The Mimetidae have long been where their prey spiders are abundant. regarded as a member of the However, the best way to collect males, and have been placed near a variety of usually the sex that allows accurate spider families or subfamilies, such as species identification, is at night when the (Archer 1950), they are wandering around in search of a (Heimer and Nentwig mate and may be found entering webs in 1982), (Wunderlich 1986) and trees or on walls. Metinae (Davies 1988). Finally, Forster and Platnick (1984) transferred four families previously placed in the Araneoidea (Mimetidae, Micropholcommatidae, Textricellidae, and ) to an enlarged Palpi- manoidea which are defined on the basis of two putative synapomorphic characters: the presence of peg teeth on the promargin of the cheliceral furrow, and the presence of an elevation on the which is punctured by presumptively glandular pores. The placement of the Mimetidae within and as the sister group to the remaining palpimanoids was supported by some studies (Coddington 1990; Platnick et al. 1991) but rejected by many authors (e.g., Wunderlich 1986; Lehtinen 1996; Schütt 2000). Recent and comprehensive phylogenetic analyses of the Araneoidea provided convincing support for a placement of the Mimetidae within the Araneoidea (Schütt 2000, 2003). However, the debate about the systematic placement of the Mimetidae is far from over and additional studies incorporating molecular and ultrastructural data appear Fig. 1: Eggsac of Ero arphana. to be required to shed more light on the true phylogenetic position of this fascinating spider family. Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 7

and overall plumb habitus are described Intrafamilial Relationships as Ero. Controversies in placing the Mimetidae The Australian Mimetidae into a phylogenetic framework reflect the taxonomic problems within the family. Twenty-three species of the Mimetidae Whilst “some araneid taxa may also are described from Queensland, New belong to the Mimetidae” (Scharff and South Wales and Tasmania (Hickman Coddington 1997), some genera currently 1929; Heimer 1986, 1989). The endemic listed within the Mimetidae, such as Australian genus Australomimetus (18 Kratochvilia Strand, 1934 and Melaenosia species) is based on at least one Simon, 1906 may not belong there; they apomorphic character, the lack of a lack some of the typical mimetid shovel-like appendage on the dorsal side autapomorphies, most prominent the of the male cymbium, in comparison to fused chelicerae and the spination the South-American Gelanor and Mimetus patterns on the forelegs (Platnick and laeviegatus from Eurasia (Heimer, 1986). Shadab 1993). Other genera may not be With the description of two species in the valid; they seem to represent junior genus Mimetus from Queensland (shovel- synonyms (e.g., Arochoides Mello-Leitão, like appendage present), the notion of a 1935 for Gelanor Thorell, 1869). The type quasi-endemic Australian mimetid clade species of Reo Brignoli, 1979, R. latro became doubtful (Heimer 1989). Two Brignoli, 1979, shows remarkable mimetid species described by Hickman similarities with Mimetus laeviegatus (1929) remained in Mimetus although (Keyserling, 1863) from Eurasia, in they show typical Australomimetus particular in genital structure. Likewise, and morphologies. No Reo eutypus (Chamberlin and Ivie, 1935) further records or descriptions of the from North America appears to be a Mimetidae were published after 1989. typical Mimetus Hentz, 1832. Brignoli (1979) transferred this species from Earlier, the Australasian genus Arkys Mimetus but it seems obvious that he Walckenaer, 1837 was transferred from never compared the genital structures of the Araneidae to the Mimetidae (Heimer these taxa. Definitions and limitations of 1984), but ultrastructural studies on and spigot structure as well as the major mimetid genera Ero C.L. Koch, the lack of mimetid autapomorphies 1836 and Mimetus, which contain the revealed Arkys as a member of the largest numbers of species, are poor. The Araneidae (Platnick and Shadab 1993, monophyly of these taxa might only Scharff and Coddington 1997). The withstand a cladistic analysis in the case concept of the Australian Mimetidae of Ero (Platnick and Shadab 1993), since including the validity of the genus pedipalp morphology differs a lot between Australomimetus was never questioned the many species of Mimetus. Confusion (Davies 1988; Platnick et al. 1991; is rising as every new mimetid species Platnick and Shadab 1993; Schütt 2000; with an elongated that lacks Wunderlich 2004), however it appears humps and slender first and second legs that the fauna requires rigorous revision is dumped into Mimetus, whereas new since Mimetus laevigatus (Keyserling, species with humped, stout opisthosoma 1863), the species Heimer (1986, 1989) Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 8 based the taxonomy of the Australian Laura Leibensperger (Harvard). Dan Mott Mimetidae on, itself does not resemble (Texas) made a copy of his unpublished the type species Mimetus syllepsicus Ph.D. thesis on North-American Hentz, 1832 from North America in either Mimetidae available. pedipalp or somatic morphology. In Finally, much is owed to Julianne addition, Heimer’s (1986, 1989) Waldock and Mark Harvey (Perth) for presumed synapomorphy, a ‘shovel-like collecting most of the specimens (and appendage’ of the male pedipalp, species!!!) from Western Australia. represents very different structures in several species which can hardly be Call for material: Mimetidae homologous. As apomorphies fade, the validity of Australomimetus and the I am extremely interested in obtaining division of the genus in a “spinosus”- and new material from Australia and “maculosus”-group must be questioned. around the globe to solve some of the difficult problems we are facing in this Project description remarkable spider family. With at least 15 species, Mimetidae are well represented in the collection of the References Western Australian Museum. Archer, A.F. 1950. A study of theridiid The aim of my studies towards a and mimetid spiders with descriptions M.Sc. degree is to test the validity of of new genera and species. Alabama Australomimetus within a phylogenetic Museum of Natural History 30, 1-40. framework of the Mimetidae, including Brignoli, P.M. 1979. Recherches en exemplar taxa from all over the world. As Afrique de l’Institut de Zoologie de part of this study, I will describe all l’Aquila (Italie) II: Reo latro nov. gen., sampled Australomimetus species from nov. sp. du Kenya (Araneae: Western Australia and a further species from Victoria and Tasmania and discuss Mimetidae). Revue Zoologique their biogeographic history in Australia. It Africaine 93, 919-928. is beyond the scope of this study to cover Coddington, J.A. 1990. Ontogeny and the whole Australian fauna that is homology in the male palpus of orb estimated to include 40-50 species. weaving spiders and their potential Acknowledgements outgroups, with comments on phylogeny (Araneoclada: Araneoidea, I am grateful to all colleagues around the ). Smithsonian globe for providing invaluable material: Contributions to Zoology 496, 1-52. Jason Dunlop and Shahin Nawai (Berlin), Norman Platnick (New York), Paula Davies, V.T. 1988. An illustrated guide to Cushing and Heather Thorwald (Denver), the genera of orb-weaving spiders in Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman and Annette Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland van den Berg (Pretoria), Rudi Jocqué Museum 25, 273-332. (Tervuren), Michael Rix (Perth), Peter Forster, R.R. and Platnick, N.I. 1984. A Schwendinger (Geneva), Hirotsugu Ono review of the archaeid spiders and (Tokyo), Christine Rollard (Paris) and their relatives, with notes on the limits Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 9

of the superfamily spiders. Revue Suisse de Zoologie (Arachnida, Araneae). Bulletin of the volume hors série 2, 399-421. American Museum of Natural History 178, 1-106. Platnick, N.I. 2006. The World Spider Catalog, Version 7.0. American Heimer, S. 1984. Remarks on the spider Museum of Natural History. online at genus Arcys Walckenaer, 1837, with http://research.amnh.org/entomology/ description of new species (Araneae, spiders/catalog/index.html (Verified 8 Mimetidae). Entomologische Abhand- September 2006). lungen Staatliches Museum für Platnick, N.I. and Forster, R.R. 1987. On Tierkunde Dresden 47, 155-178. the first American spiders of the Heimer, S. 1986. Notes on the spider subfamily Sternodinae (Araneae, family Mimetidae with description of a Malkaridae). American Museum new genus from Australia. (Arachnida, Novitates 2894, 1-12. Araneae). Entomologische Abhand- Platnick, N.I. and Shadab, M.U. 1993. A lungen Staatliches Museum für review of the pirate spiders (Araneae, Tierkunde Dresden 49, 113- 137. Mimetidae) of Chile. American Heimer, S. 1989. Some new mimetid Museum Novitates 3074, 1-30. spiders from North Queensland, Platnick, N.I., Coddington, J.A., Forster, Australia. (Arachnida: Araneae: R.R. and Griswold C.E. 1991. Mimetidae). Memoirs of the Queens- morphology and the land Museum 27, 433-435. phylogeny of the haplogyne spiders Heimer S and Nentwig W. 1982. (Araneae, ). American Thoughts on the phylogeny of the Museum Novitates 3016, 1-73. Araneoidea Latreille, 1806 (Arachnida, Scharff, N. and Coddington J.A. 1997. A Araneae). Zeitschrift für Zoologische phylogenetic analysis of the orb- Systematik und Evolutionsforschung weaving spider family Araneidae 20, 284-295. (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoological Hickman, V.V. 1929. Studies in Journal of the Linnean Society 120, Tasmanian spiders. Part III. Papers 355-434. and Proceedings of the Royal Society Schütt, K. 2000. The limits of the of Tasmania 1928, 96-118. Araneoidea (Arachnida: Araneae). Jackson, R.R. and Whitehouse, M.E.A. Australian Journal of Zoology 48, 135- 1986. The biology of New Zealand 153. and Queensland pirate spiders Schütt, K. 2003. Limits and phylogeny of (Araneae, Mimetidae): aggressive the Araneoidea (Arachnida: Araneae). mimicry, araneophagy and prey Dissertation.de-Verlag im Internet specialization. Journal of Zoology, GmbH, Berlin. 152 pp. London 210, 279-303. Wunderlich, J. 1986. Spinnenfauna Lehtinen, P.T. 1996. The ultrastructure of gestern und heute. Fossile Spinnen in the leg skin in the phylogeny of Bernstein und ihre heute lebenden Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 10

Verwandten. Bauer Verlag, wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest. Wiesbaden. 283 pp. Along the banks, Nephila plumipes (Latreille, 1804) is common where the Wunderlich, J. 2004. Fossil pirate spiders canopy is not closed. Nephila pilipes (Araneae: Araneoidea: Mimetidae s. l.) (Fabricius, 1793) is also very common at in Baltic and Dominican amber, with this site. Megadolomedes australianus notes on intrafamiliar higher taxa. (L. Koch, 1865) are frequently seen in the Beiträge zur Araneologie. 3, 1249- creekside vegetation which is dominated 1278. by Lomandra sp. and Carex sp.

------

Predation on Nephila sp. by Megadolomedes australianus (Araneae, Pisauridae) Matthew Shaw Inquiry Centre Queensland Museum [email protected]

The most water-loving spiders in the family Pisauridae are called ‘Fishing Spiders”, because they catch prey on the surface of the water, or they dive beneath water to avoid predators or catch prey. While several pisaurid species are functionally suited to capturing prey in this manner, ecological shifts have occurred within this family either to or from aquatic hunting. For instance, Fig. 1: Megadolomedes australianus minor L. Koch, 1876 hunts in feeding on Nephila. paddocks, and Inola spp. build capture th webs. Another type of ecological shift On the 12 of February 2006 at occurs during development in Dolomedes 1:00pm, I observed a large M. triton (Walckenaer, 1837) with females australianus consuming a female Nephila becoming active foragers upon attaining sp., presumed to be N. plumipes (Fig. 1). reproductive maturity, whereas juveniles The feasting M. australianus was on the are fairly sedentary (Kreiter and Wise periphery of the web in an exposed 1996). location. A short distance away, another M. australianus was observed in an Northbrook Creek (27º18’16.8” S, exposed location on the periphery of a 152º42’34.3”E) is a narrow creek in small Nephila web, and the builder of this Brisbane Forest Park, running through web was absent. Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 11

On a second visit to the site on 6 not native to New Zealand. However, over March 2006, Nephila and M. australianus the years following European colonisation were plentiful but no further instances of there has been a steady stream of predation by M. australianus on Nephila imports of foreign species, mostly from were observed. One female M. the eastern coast of Australia. At least australianus was observed carrying an one of these species, cancerides egg-sac. Walckenaer, 1837 (Fig. 1), has become established. It would be interesting to discover if capture of web-inhabiting spiders by M. Delena cancerides was illustrated in australianus is exceptional or not. Ray Forster’s ‘Spiders of New Zealand, Part 1’ (Forster 1967), but then I am grateful to Dr Robert Raven for misidentified as (now ) identifying M. australianus. insignis (Thorell, 1870). It was used in the References movie “Arachnophobia” because of its unusual propensity to tolerate the close Kreiter, N. and Wise, D.H. 1996. Age- proximity of other members of the related changes in movement patterns species. Locally, this spider is known as in the fishing spider, Dolomedes triton the ‘Avondale Spider’, after the area of (Araneae, Pisauridae). Journal of Auckland where it was established in the Arachnology 24: 24-33. early 1920’s (Hall 1988). The first specimen was found in 1924 and is ------thought to have been introduced with wood for railway sleepers. Riparian bush The Huntsman Spiders of introduced wattle (Acacia spp.) is the (Sparassidae) of New Zealand most common habitat in which the spider is found. Delena is well established in wild 1David Hirst, 2Julianne M. Waldock, areas that contain mature, introduced 3Shaun J. Bennett and 4Grace Hall black wattle trees, Acacia mearnsii, with heavy undergrowth near small freshwater 1Arachnology, South Australian Museum, creeks. At least five colonies of about 500 North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, spiders are known in the Avondale Australia Blockhouse Bay area of Auckland. In the 2Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates, past these spiders were commonly found Western Australian Museum, Locked around houses, but with increased Bag 49, Welshpool DC, WA 6986, clearing of areas of old wattles for Australia housing subdivisions such encounters are 3Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, becoming less frequent. Males are more Investigation and Diagnostic Centre, likely to wander into houses during their Tamaki (Auckland), New Zealand search for females. 4New Zealand Collection, Landcare Research, Auckland, New Over recent years, one of us (DH) has Zealand been receiving regular inquiries from authorities in New Zealand to identify The spider family Sparassidae, arrivals of huntsman spiders from either commonly known as huntsman spiders, is Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 12 digital images or of the actual specimens Table 1. Sparassidae established and (Table 1). intercepted in New Zealand (nomenclature after Platnick 2006)

Known natural distribution in parentheses: Aust. – Australia, NSW – New South Wales, Qld – Queensland, SA – , Tas – Tasmania, Vic – Victoria, WA – Western Australia; * = data from New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry databases (STARS, PPIN). Specimens held in PANZ and PCNZ collections.

Established (? = possibly established) Delena cancerides Walckenaer, 1837* (Aust., Tas) ? Isopeda villosa L. Koch, 1875* (NSW) ? Isopedella victorialis Hirst, 1993* (Vic) Intercepted crediton Davies, 1994 (Qld)* H. jugulans (L. Koch, 1876) (Qld) * H. venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) (pantropical)* Heteropoda sp.* Holconia immanis (L. Koch, 1867) (Aust.)* Isopeda echuca Hirst, 1992 (NSW, Vic) Fig. 1: Delena cancerides (male) I. leishmanni Hogg 1903 (WA, SA, Vic) Photo: D. Hirst I. woodwardi Hogg, 1903 (SA)* Isopedella flavida (L. Koch, 1875) (Qld, Many of these arrivals have not NSW) become established. This may be due to I. frenchi (Hogg, 1903) (Vic, SA) an unfavourable climate. For example, I. pessleri (Thorell, 1870)* (NSW, Vic) representatives of Heteropoda (‘banana Isopedella sp.* [unconfirmed, DH] spiders’) are generally introduced from Neosparassus punctatus (L. Koch, 1865) tropical environments including the (Aust.) Pacific Islands, Philippines and Ecuador N. diana (L. Koch, 1875)* (WA, Vic, Tas) which export bananas to New Zealand. It may simply be too cold for these spiders Neosparassus sp.* [unconfirmed, DH] to survive. Others, such as the Badge Olios sp.* [ex: car import from Asia, SB] Huntsmen, Neosparassus spp., from Australia, may require more arid Finding a foothold in New Zealand conditions. may just be a matter of time with other Huntsman Spiders, such as Isopeda villosa L. Koch, 1875, a native to coastal Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 13

New South Wales and the Great Dividing firmly established. So far there is no Range. A single gravid female escaping indication that representatives of this into suitable habitat could lead to a new family are a threat to the native fauna as addition to the sparassid fauna of New they seem to be closely associated with Zealand. Indeed, I. villosa has been environments that are modified by collected from several localities around humans. Auckland over the years (six since 2001) without direct links to recent imports. This References suggests that this species may be locally established. It was initially reported from Forster, R.R. 1967. Spiders of New Takapuna, Auckland in 1995 (GH) and a Zealand, Part 1. Otago Museum second specimen was found in the same Bulletin 1, -124. area in 1996. Subsequently, records from Hall, G. 1988. DSIR [Department of Panmure (1992), Helensville (1994) and Scientific and Industrial Research] Otahuhu (1999) became available (GH). Entomology Division Leaflet 88/1. Platnick, N. 2006. The World Spider Catalog, Version 7.0 http://research.amnh.org/entomology/ spiders/catalog/INTRO1.html (verified 7 September 2006). See also: Hall, G. 1996. Meet Taka, a fat spotty softy from the Shore. NZ Herald Saturday September 7, 1996. Fig. 1: Isopeda villosa from Batemans Hall, G. 1996. Aussie invader one of a Bay (New South Wales, Australia). nicer kind of spider. North Shore Photo: D. Hirst Times Advertiser, September 17, 1996. Isopedella victorialis Hirst, 1993 may also be in the process of establishing itself, as three specimens were found in ------close proximity in the Hoon Hay area of Recent Australasian Christchurch between December 2005 Arachnological and January 2006. However, no further specimens have been reported to date. Publications Isopeda villosa and I. victorialis, with less This column aims to collate critical habitat preferences as Delena, arachnological publications that were may be more likely to adapt to living in issued (but not yet those ‘in press’) since houses. the last volume of Australasian The above records and observations Arachnology. These include: suggest that New Zealand now has at Ø papers on Australasian least one species of arachnology and Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 14

Ø papers written by Australasian ’ (Araneae, Lycosidae). arachnologists (including non- Journal of Arachnology 34, 206-213. papers). Framenau, V.W. and Yoo, J.-S. 2006. I am particularly interested in Systematics of the new Australian listing entries of publications that are not wolf spider genus Tuberculosa easily traceable through the common (Araneae: Lycosidae). Invertebrate library search engines, including theses Systematics 20, 185-202. and abstracts of theses. Please provide me with information on your latest Framenau, V.W., Gotch, T.B. and publications for the next issue. Austin, A.D. 2006. The wolf spiders of artesian springs in arid South Australia, with a revalidation of Agnarsson, I. 2006. A revision of the Tetralycosa (Araneae, Lycosidae). New World eximius lineage of Journal of Arachnology 34, 1-36. Anelosimus (Araneae, Theridiidae) Harvey, M.S. 2006. New species and and a phylogenetic analysis using records of the pseudoscorpion family worldwide exemplars. Zoological Menthidae (Pseudoscorpiones). Journal of the Linnean Society 146, Records of the Western Australian 453-593. Museum 23, 167-174. Dankittipakul, P. and Jocqué, R. 2006. Harvey, M.S. and Mould, L.G. 2006. A Two new species of Cydrela Thorell new troglomorphic species of (Araneae: Zodariidae) from Thailand. Austrochthonius (Pseudoscorpiones: Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54, 93-101 Chtoniidae) from Australia, with (available online at remarks on Chthonius caecus. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/). Records of the Western Australian Framenau, V.W. 2006. The wolf spider Museum 23, 205-211. genus Venatrix Roewer: new species, Harvey, M.S. and Mahnert, V. 2006. The synonymies and generic transfers. systematic position of the Amazonian Records of the Western Australian species of Albiorix (Pseudo- Museum 23, 145-166. scorpiones, Ideoroncidae). Journal of Framenau, V.W. 2006. Revision of the Arachnology 34, 227-230. Australian wolf spider genus Harvey, M.S., Štáhlavský, F. and Anomalosa Roewer, 1960 (Araneae, Theron, P.D. 2006. The distribution of Lycosidae). Zootaxa 1304, 1-20. Eukoenenia mirabilis (Palpigradi: Framenau, V.W. 2006. Knoelle, a new Eukoeneniidae): a widespread tramp. monotypic wolf spider genus from Records of the Western Australian Australia (Araneae, Lycosidae). Museum 23, 199-204. Zootaxa 1281, 55-67. Langlands P.R., Brennan K.E.C. and Framenau, V.W. 2006. Mainosa, a new Pearson D.J. 2006. Spiders, spinifex, genus for the Australian ‘shuttlecock rainfall and fire: Long-term changes in Australasian Arachnology No. 74 Page 15

an arid spider assemblage. Journal of Woodman, J.D., Ash, J.E. and Rowell, Arid Environments 67, 36-59. D.M. 2006. Population structure in a saproxylic funnelweb spider Kim, D.-H., Lee, J.-W. and Kim, J.-P. (: Hadronyche) along a 2006. Checklist of Korean Opiliones. forested rainfall gradient. Journal of Korean Arachnology 22, 31-38. Zoology, London 268, 325-333. Li, D. and Kuan J.Y.X. 2006. Natal Yang, Z.-Z., Zhu, M.-S. and Song, D.-X.. dispersal and breeding dispersal of a 2006. A newly recorded genus and a subsocial (Scytodes new species of the spider family pallida) (Araneae: Scytodidae) from from Yunna, China Singapore. Journal of Zoology, (Arachnida: Araneae). Raffles Journal London 268, 121-126. of Zoology 54, 235-239 (available Platnick, N.I. and Baehr, B.C. 2006. A online at revision of the Australasian ground http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/). spiders of the family Prodidomidae Zhu, M.-S., Zhang J. X. and Zhang, F. (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea). Bulletin of 2006. Rare spiders of the genus the American Museum of Natural Cyclocosmia (Arachnida: Araneae: History 298, 1-287 (available online at ) from tropical and http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/) subtropical China. Raffles Bulletin of Rix, M.G. 2006. Systematics of the Zoology 54, 119-124 (available online Australasian spider family at http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/). Pararchaeidae (Arachnida: Araneae). Zhang, C., Song, D. X. and Kim, J.-P. Invertebrate Systematics 20, 203-254. 2006. A new species of the spider Smith, H. 2006. A revision of the genus genus Araneus from Tibet, China Poltys in Australasia (Araneae: (Araneae: Araneidae). Korean Araneidae). Records of the Australian Arachnology 22, 1-6. Museum 58, 43-96. Zhang, J.X. Woon J.R.W. and Li, D. Tu, L. and Li, S. 2006. Three new and 2006. A new genus and species of four newly recorded species of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae: Linyphiinae and Micronetinae spiders Spartaeinae) from Malaysia. Raffles (Araneae: Linyphiidae) from Northern Bulletin of Zoology 54, 241-244 Vietnam. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology (available online at 54, 103-117 (available online at http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/). http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/) Wishart, G. 2006. Trapdoor spiders of the genus Misgolas (: ) in the Sydney region, Australia, with notes on synonymies attributed to M. rapax. Records of the Australian Museum 58, 1-18.