Australasian Arachnology 84 Page 1 THE AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL Australasian Arachnology 84 Page 2 THE AUSTRALASIAN ARTICLES ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY The newsletter Australasian Arachnology depends on the contributions of members. www.australasian-arachnology.org Please send articles to the Editor: Acari – Araneae – Amblypygi – Opiliones – Palpigradi – Pseudoscorpiones – Pycnogonida – Michael G. Rix Schizomida – Scorpiones – Uropygi Department of Terrestrial Zoology Western Australian Museum The aim of the society is to promote interest in Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, W.A. 6986 the ecology, behaviour and taxonomy of Email: [email protected] arachnids of the Australasian region. Articles should be typed and saved as a MEMBERSHIP Microsoft Word document, with text in Times New Roman 12-point font. Only electronic Membership is open to all who have an interest email (preferred) or posted CD-ROM submiss- in arachnids – amateurs, students and ions will be accepted. professionals – and is managed by our Administrator (note new address): Previous issues of the newsletter are available at http://www.australasian- Volker W. Framenau arachnology.org/newsletter/issues. Phoenix Environmental Sciences P.O. Box 857 LIBRARY Balcatta, W.A. 6914 Email: [email protected] For those members who do not have access to a scientific library, the society has a large number Membership fees in Australian dollars (per 4 of reference books, scientific journals and paper issues): reprints available, either for loan or as photo- *discount personal institutional copies. For all enquiries concerning publica- Australia $8 $10 $12 tions please contact our Librarian: NZ/Asia $10 $12 $14 Elsewhere $12 $14 $16 Jean-Claude Herremans There is no agency discount. *Discount rates apply to P.O. Box 291 pensioners, students and the unemployed (please Manly, New South Wales 1655 provide proof of status). Email: [email protected] Cheques are payable in Australian dollars to Professional members are encouraged to send in “Australasian Arachnological Society”. Any their arachnological reprints as they become number of issues can be paid for in advance, available. and receipts can be issued upon request. COVER ILLUSTRATIONS Members will receive a PDF version* of the Female curtain-web spider (family Dipluridae): newsletter Australasian Arachnology, and will Cethegus fugax (Simon, 1908) from John be notified by email when their subscription has Forrest National Park, near Perth, Western expired. Australia. These mygalomorph spiders are not uncommon in the jarrah forests east of Perth. *NOTE. PDF-only as of Issue 80 Image by Mike Rix (WA Museum). Australasian Arachnology 84 Page 3 EDITORIAL… community in a scholarly yet friendly and relaxed atmosphere. This particular Congress is Welcome to Issue 85 of Australasian the first to be held in Asia, and promises to be Arachnology. I’d like to begin this editorial by an enjoyable week for all delegates. first making special mention of the late Dr Concomitant with the timing of this meeting, Valerie Davies (1920-2012), who passed away CSIRO Publishing has announced the first last October. Val was one of the key figures of ‘virtual issue’ of Invertebrate Systematics, Australian arachnology: a talented and greatly dedicated to arachnology (see General Announ- respected curator, spider systematist and field cements, below). biologist, and someone who was no doubt known to most in the AAS. For my part, Val In this issue we have one ‘Arachnid Research was an important early influence and a great In Focus…’ column, featuring two articles on mentor, and it was wonderful to see that she tangle-web spiders of the family Theridiidae. was awarded the International Society of The first, by Helen Smith and colleagues, Arachnology’s Simon Award in 2010, for examines the large, synanthropic species lifetime achievement. Geoff Monteith provided Cryptachaea gigantipes. The second, by Lars a detailed and extremely thoughtful obituary to Krogmann and Andy Austin, examines a genus Val in the Entomological Society of Queen- of pompilid spider-wasps shown to be sland’s News Bulletin late last year, and Geoff predaceous on redback spiders. And as has very kindly agreed to this being reproduced previously mentioned, we have two detailed here in full. An obituary to Doug Wallace, by obituaries to Valerie Davies and Doug Wallace, his daughter Diane Wallace, is also included, as both of whom passed away in 2012. reported in Issue 84 of this newsletter. These are two fitting tributes to two talented I wish all members the very best for the rest of arachnologists from a remarkable generation. 2012, and please consider contributing articles for inclusion in future editions. I should first apologise for the delayed timing of this newsletter, with nearly 10 months having Cheers, passed since the distribution of Issue 84. (The birth of one’s first child in late 2012 may or Mike may not have had something to do with this delay!) However, during this time, Hobart played host to the (by all accounts) enjoyable and highly successful Australian Entomological Society/Australasian Arachnological Society Joint Conference, where two of our student members – Sophie Harrison and Jess Marsh – presented their research. Thanks to all of the speakers who participated in the Arach- nids/Myriapods symposium at this conference. Looking further afield, and this month the International Society of Arachnology is holding its 19th International Congress, at the Howard Female trapdoor spider, Euoplos inornatus Beach Resort near Kenting National Park, (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) (Idiopidae) from Taiwan. These meetings, held every three years, the Darling Range, Western Australia. bring together the world’s arachnology Image by Mike Rix. Australasian Arachnology 84 Page 4 MEMBERSHIP UPDATES identification workshops run by Dave Walter, Cal Welbourn and Carl Childers which helped New Members: enormously and left me somewhat over- whelmed by the diversity of the group but also Mike Bevington with a genuine fascination. Mission Beach, Queensland 4852 After relocating to South Australia I started a Holly O’Connor PhD on the systematics of Australian Mono- Wellington, New Zealand 6035 morium ants in Andy Austin’s Lab group at the Kate Sparks University of Adelaide. Now after 13 years, Adelaide, South Australia 5000 three kids and a (not quite finished) PhD I find myself happy to be back working in a museum Malcolm Tattersall collection and I look forward to meeting and Mundingburra, Queensland 4812 working with some of you in the coming ___________________________ months. General Announcements Kate Sparks ___________________________ Kate Sparks appointed as new Arachnology Collection Manager at SA Museum. The New virtual issue on Arachnology from South Australian Museum has recently app- Invertebrate Systematics ointed Kate Sparks as the new Collection Manager for Arachnology! Thanks to Kate for CSIRO PUBLISHING is pleased to announce introducing herself to the society and providing the launch of a new virtual issue on arach- a few words below: nology in Invertebrate Systematics. Hello everyone! I am very happy to be joining “In recent years, significant advances have been the world of arachnophiles as the new Arach- made in understanding the systematics and nology Collection Manager at the South Aust- evolution of arachnids,” explained Professor ralian Museum. My first introduction to Andy Austin, the journal’s Editor-in-Chief. museum collections was at Museum Victoria, “Invertebrate Systematics has published many initially as a research assistant to Ken Walker important studies in this field, and we’re excited and working on a systematic revision of the to be able to highlight some of them in a virtual native bee genus Lasioglossum before moving issue.” into a short stint as Entomology collection manager. Part of my role back then was to plan Professor Austin selected the publications for and oversee the relocation of the Entomology the issue with one of the journal’s editors, Dr and Arachnology collections from the old Mark Harvey, a renowned arachnologist from Abbotsford annex to the then brand new the Western Australian Museum in Perth. building at Carlton Gardens (I also spent several months wrapping the entire mineralogy coll- Among the publications in the issue are a ection up in toilet paper but that is perhaps a description of a new family of harvestmen, story for another time). studies on several spider species, and even an analysis of a group of small, soft-bodied After leaving the museum I joined AQIS as a arachnids that live underground. The research Quarantine Entomologist where mounting and was done across the world, on almost every attempting to identify mites started taking up a lot of my time. I was fortunate to attend two Australasian Arachnology 84 Page 5 continent, and relied on a broad range of mol- ecular and morphological methods. “Invertebrate Systematics has a considerable archive of arachnology publications, so the virtual issue represents the very best from the journal,” said Caroline Hadley, Journal Pub- lisher. To ensure that all readers can access the material, the publications will be freely available until the end of this year. The virtual issue is timed to coincide with the 19th International Congress of Arachnology in Taiwan in June 2013, which both Professor Austin and Dr Harvey are attending. You can view the 12 articles that make up this Female redback spider, Latrodectus hasselti special issue at Virtual Issues – Arachnology, or Thorell, 1870, from Perth, Western Australia. find out more about Invertebrate Systematics on Image by Mike Rix. the journal’s homepage. Précis: CSIRO Publishing The Theridiidae are the subject of two research ___________________________ papers highlighted in this edition: one exploring the systematics of a synanthropic species in Arachnid Research In Focus… eastern Australia and New Zealand, Cryptachea Tangle-Web Spiders (Theridiidae) gigantipes (Keyserling, 1890); and another reporting on the predation of redback spiders by Smith, H.M., Vink, C.J., Fitzgerald, B.M. and pompilid spider-wasps of the genus Sirvid, P.J. (2012). Redescription and generic Agenioideus.