AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGY Newsletter of the Australasian Arachnological Society No. 88 Spring 2019 $5.00 International Congress 2019 Congress page 4 Spidentify page 8 Conference page 12 AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Australasian Arachnology 88 The aim of the Australasian Arachnological Society is to Editorial Contents promote interest in the ecology, 2019 has been a far busier year than the frequency of the In this issue we range from Christchurch, New behaviour and taxonomy of appearance of Australasian Arachnology would suggest. It Zealand to Micronesia for Argiope spp. then back “Christchurch had been arachnids of the Australasian region. was our intention to get a newsletter out soon after the highly to Rainbow Beach on Queensland’s sunshine coast. Membership, which covers four successful and hugely important 21st International Congress through more than its fair issues of Australasian Arachnology, of Arachnology in Christchurch, in February 2019. Carpé 2019 Christchurch Congress is open to all who have an interest diem, as the saying goes. Due to the usual excuses, the day share of disasters in recent in arachnids. Membership is wasn’t so much seized as let slip through our fingers. Report by Helen Smith ................................................................. 4 years, and whilst parts of the $20AU. To join, renew or update It wasn’t long after that when we felt an even more urgent Australian Faunal Directory salticids updated your member profile visit www. need for a newsletter to alert people to a long-awaited meeting city were full of building and Barry Richardson ............................................................................ 9 australasianarachnologicalsociety. of the Australasian Arachnological Society. This event, which org renovation workings following will soon be upon us, is taking place in conjunction with An unexpected pholcid in the Cairns region Our newsletter Australasian meetings of the Australian Entomological Society and the Jim Hackett ..................................................................................... 10 the series of earthquakes of Arachnology ISSN 0811-3696 is Society of Australian Systematic Biologists, 1–4 December scheduled to appear three times a 2019 at Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre. It Spidentify: the app 2010 and especially, 2011, year. Previous issues are available to will be a red letter event for the Australasian Arachnological members at the society website via Caitlin Henderson ........................................................................ 12 others were open and ready their login. Back issues are available Society, since the previous meeting was way back in 2012. to non members 12 months after After a stint in Darwin, Spiders The Exhibition, a joint Australasian Arachnological Society meeting for business.” publication date. project between the Australian Museum and Questacon, will Keynote by Owen Seeman ....................................................... 18 be moving to Queensland Museum on 6 December 2019 for a Australasian Arachnology Argiope redux welcomes contributions from all five-month season until 4 May 2020. Yet another reason to be – Helen Smith Graham Winterflood ................................................................. 20 who have an interest in arachnids. in Brisbane in December. Please send articles to newsletter@ All the colours of Rainbow Beach australasianarachnologicalsociety. org Robert Whyte .................................................................................. 24 Cover photo Helen Smith Robert Whyte Helen Smith 2 3 AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Australasian Arachnology 88 The Organising Christchurch Congress: Helen Smith reports from amblypygids to humans. Committee, headed by Other plenaries (Tuesday, Thursday and he atmosphere in Christchurch was the Canterbury Museum and the Christchurch Friday because Wednesday was excursion lovely, bustling with tourists and locals, Botanic Gardens. As folks who were following Cor Vink, managed a day) were given by Martin J. Ramirez Spider Tand cicadas buzzing in the trees. the congress circulars will know, this wasn’t in phylogenetics and evolution – beyond the Christchurch had been through more than the original plan. Instead, ‘Plan A’ was for the spectacular rescue of trees, Klaus Birkhofer Spider communities in its fair share of disasters in recent years, and whole congress to be held at Lincoln University, agricultural landscapes – response patterns whilst parts of the city were full of building about 15 km southwest of Christchurch city what could have been and consequences for predation services and and renovation workings following the series of centre. In a nightmare move for the ICA an accommodation Prashant Sharma The evo-devo spyglass: a earthquakes of 2010 and especially, 2011, others organising committee, about six months out, promised renaissance for morphology in an era were open and ready for business. the uni decided that students would be returning fiasco. of genomes and functional toolkits. After each There was plenty to see and do, from a week earlier than usual and withdrew the use plenary we gathered for the bus ride to Lincoln learning about earthquakes and visiting the of University accommodation. The Organising the official start of the Congress with a Spider and morning coffee break. cardboard cathedral to the more usual haunts Committee, headed by Cor Vink, managed a Trait Network workshop during the day on After coffee on Monday and Tuesday for an arachnologist among the galleries of the spectacular rescue of what could have been Sunday, followed by the usual Welcome Party mornings, invited lectures were given by up Canterbury Museum and time spent roaming an accommodation fiasco, and negotiated a on the Sunday evening. The welcome address and coming early career researchers, three on the Botanic Gardens. split-venue solution that on the whole worked at 8:00 am on the Monday morning saw many each day. Monday was Chrissie Painting on Two hundred and two delegates and eighteen really well. Accommodation, social events bleary-eyed or jet-lagged — but all happy to be The evolution of diverse animal weapons, accompanying persons travelled from thirty-two and morning plenary sessions were held at the there and eager for the week ahead. Hannah Wood on Evolution of palpimanoid different countries to the Congress. YMCA, then participants were taken by bus to Eileen Hebets had the honour of presenting spiders: bizarre morphologies, ‘Base’ for the event was the Lincoln University for coffee and the symposia the first plenary of the week, with Sensory unusual behaviours, and YMCA, pleasantly located and ‘home’ again at 5:30 pm each day. systems, learning and communication - insights extreme speeds and just across the road from Events actually kicked-off slightly ahead of 4 5 AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY Australasian Arachnology 88 (the 45 posters were up at Lincoln for browsing exceptionally illustrated monographs of these during lunch and coffee breaks). spiders. Tuesday evening was the famous Russian After a brief meal break, the treat of a special Party. Some wan faces the next day attested to viewing of the documentary Sixteen Legs was the success of the night. on offer. Narrated by Neil Gaiman, this is a Wednesday was excursion day. There were film by Niall Doran and the Bookend Trust two trips on offer, one to Hinewai Reserve, and about the Tasmanian cave spider, Hickmania one to Arthur’s Pass National Park. Hinewai troglodytes. This large troglophile is found Reserve is on the Banks Peninsula and is a only in Tasmania, notable for its cave presence, privately run reserve. Here limited collecting where it can make huge sheet webs. was allowed without a permit, so this trip was The conference dinner was held on the Friday popular with those searching for samples of evening, again at the YMCA. Unlike many down-under taxa. Arthur’s Pass was a scenic congresses where dinner is mid week, this timing trip. Both trips departed a little later than meant that everyone had done their talks and planned due to the only transport glitch of the could relax. To top the evening, the congress week, when the buses went to Lincoln to pick us awards for student presentations were handed up instead of the YMCA. I went on the Arthur’s out. Pass trip. We visited the Castle Hill Rocks first, named Kura T-whiti by the local Ng-i Tahu, Systematics, Evolution & Biogeography International arachnologists, outstanding in their field. The post congress excursion group with Fox Glacier and a fantastic area studded by smooth towering Runner Up: Siddharth Kulkarni Big data, Mount Cook in the distance JOHN KNOX limestone outcrops. We reached Arthur’s Pass small spiders: analyses of ultraconserved Henrik Krehenwinkel on The promises of next With 160 talks in total to squeeze into for lunch and a brief walk and were suitably elements give new perspectives on spider generation sequencing technology for high the four days, the remaining presentations wowed by the stunning scenery and beautiful phylogeny and evolution of miniature throughput assessment of spider diversity. were run in two parallel sessions. Many talks moist forests. orb-weavers On Tuesday we heard from Chris Hamilton were grouped under Symposia headings: After the Thursday program, the evening 1st Prize: Caitlin Baker Systematics and on Arthropod systematics in the age of “big Salticid behaviour, Ecology and evolution, featured the ISA General Assembly, where ISA