Records of the Western Australian Museum 25: 295–304 (2009). The spider families Synotaxidae and Malkaridae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea) in Western Australia Michael G. Rix1,2, J. Dale Roberts1 and Mark S. Harvey2,1 1 School of Animal Biology M092, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia E-mail: [email protected]. 2Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool D.C., Perth, Western Australia 6986, Australia E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract – The southern-temperate spider families Synotaxidae and Malkaridae are newly recorded from south-western Western Australia, each for a new species from the eastern Stirling Range National Park. The synotaxid genus Calcarsynotaxus Wunderlich, previously described from south-eastern Queensland, is represented in Western Australia by the new species C. benrobertsi. The sternoidine malkarid genus Perissopmeros Butler, previously described from south-eastern Australia, is represented in Western Australia by the new species P. darwini. Species of Synotaxidae and Malkaridae are rare and highly restricted in south-western Australia, known only from refugial, mesic habitats in montane areas of the Stirling Range National Park. INTRODUCTION which capture moisture-laden clouds moving The south-west of Western Australia is a north from the Southern Ocean, creating wet biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000), with an montane heathlands and shaded, mesic gullies on extraordinary diversity of terrestrial animals southern slopes (Main 1999) (Figures 20–25). These and flowering plants, and high levels of regional small, largely isolated montane habitats are home endemism (Hopper et al. 1996; Hopper and Gioia to a remarkable diversity of short-range endemic 2004). Although most of south-western Western species (Harvey 2002c), including many southern- Australia is now dominated by xeric, semi-arid temperate invertebrate taxa. Indeed, the peaks and transitional rainfall habitats (see Hopper and and south-facing gullies of the Stirling Ranges are Gioia 2004), coastal and montane areas of the State’s renowned for their relictual invertebrate fauna, south and extreme south-west are profoundly which includes spiders of the families Archaeidae influenced by Mediterranean winter rainfall and and Migidae, along with many other arachnid, fickle Southern Ocean weather patterns, creating myriapod and gastropod taxa (see Hopper et al. a mosaic of mesic habitats which are home to 1996; Main 1999; Harvey 2002b, 2002c; Rix 2006; and a distinctive and relictual southern-temperate references therein). invertebrate fauna. These mesic habitats in south- The Synotaxidae and Malkaridae are two families western Western Australia are mostly restricted to of small, entelegyne araneomorph spiders with the high-rainfall forested regions of the south coast, similar, largely southern-temperate distributions: between Cape Leeuwin and Albany. Here, towering Synotaxidae currently includes 14 genera and 70 forests of Karri and Tingle (Eucalyptus spp.) provide refugial habitats very similar to those found in species from Australia, New Zealand, Chile and south-eastern Australia, and are home to several the neotropics; Malkaridae currently includes four characteristically eastern Australian temperate genera and 10 species from Australia and Chile, lineages (e.g. Hopper et al. 1996; Main et al. 2002; along with many undescribed species from New Rix 2008). Beyond the tall eucalypt forests of the Zealand (Platnick and Forster 1987; Platnick 2009). extreme south-west, truly mesic refugial habitats Both groups are most diverse in south-eastern are more spatially isolated, usually restricted to Australia and New Zealand, where 11 genera of coastal or uplifted landforms of higher altitude. Synotaxidae and three genera of Malkaridae have Among the more obvious of these landforms are so far been described (Platnick 2009). ancient coastal granitic peaks and the extraordinary The Australasian Synotaxidae were reviewed mountains of the Stirling Range National Park, by Forster et al. (1990), who recognised two 296 M. G. Rix, J. D. Roberts, M. S. Harvey southern-temperate subfamilies: the Physogleninae, genitalia were illustrated on Utoplex tracing paper, including four genera from Australia, New Zealand using printed auto-montage template images taken and Chile; and the Pahorinae, including five genera through a compound microscope. ArcMap version from New Zealand (Forster et al. 1990). Wunderlich 9.3.1 (ESRI Inc.) with Virtual Earth (Microsoft Corp.) (1994, 2008) described two additional synotaxid was used to create the satellite image in Figure 24. genera and three new species from south-eastern All measurements are in millimetres, and the Queensland: Calcarsynotaxus longipes Wunderlich, following abbreviations are used throughout 1994 from the Lamington Plateau, south of the text: ALE, anterior lateral eyes; ALS, anterior Brisbane; and most recently Microsynotaxus insolens lateral spinnerets; AME, anterior median eyes; PLE, Wunderlich, 2008 and M. calliope Wunderlich, 2008, posterior lateral eyes; PME, posterior median eyes; both from Kroombit Tops, north of Brisbane. PMS, posterior median spinnerets. The Australasian Malkaridae remain poorly studied, with a single species of Malkara Davies, SYSTEMATICS 1980 described from south-eastern Queensland and two genera of Sternoidinae described from south-eastern Australia (Moran 1986; Platnick Family Synotaxidae Simon, 1894 2009). Spiders of the subfamily Sternoidinae are Calcarsynotaxus Wunderlich, 1994 distinctive, highly sclerotised arachnids of the forest understorey: Perissopmeros Butler, 1932 Calcarsynotaxus Wunderlich, 1994: 539. includes six species from Victoria and New South Wales; Carathea Moran, 1986 includes two species Type species from Tasmania (Moran 1986; Platnick 2009); and Calcarsynotaxus longipes Wunderlich, 1994, by Chilenodes Platnick and Forster, 1987 includes a original designation. single species from Chile (Platnick and Forster 1987). Calcarsynotaxus benrobertsi sp. nov. Recent field work in the eastern Stirling Range Figures 1–14 National Park of southern Western Australia (Figures 20–25) has revealed the presence of Material examined new species of Synotaxidae and Malkaridae, significantly extending the known distributions Holotype of these families in Australia. Calcarsynotaxus Australia: Western Australia: ♂, Stirling Range benrobertsi sp. nov. and Perissopmeros darwini National Park, Ellen Peak, summit (1007 m), th sp. nov. are named on the occasion of the 200 34º21’30”S, 118º19’57”E, 6 November 2007, sifting anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and elevated leaf litter under Lepidosperma sedges in the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the montane Kunzea heathland, M. Rix et al. (WAM Origin of Species. They represent the first records of T96175). Synotaxidae and Malkaridae in Western Australia, and highlight the importance of refugial montane Paratypes habitats for the conservation of short-range endemic Australia: : arachnids in southern Western Australia. Western Australia allotype ♀, same data as holotype (WAM T96176); 1 ♂, 1 ♀, same data as holotype (WAM T89593); 1 ♀, Stirling MATERIAL AND METHODS Range National Park, south face of Pyungoorup The specimens examined as part of this Peak, 34º21’54”S, 118º19’44”E, 5 August 2008, sifting study are lodged at the Western Australian elevated leaf litter under Lepidosperma sedges along Museum, Perth (WAM). Digital photographs mesic, shaded creek line, M. Rix, M. Harvey (WAM were taken through a Leica MZ16A binocular T94569). microscope, and auto-montage images were captured using a Leica DFC500 mounted camera Affinities with Leica Application Suite version 2.5.0R1 Calcarsynotaxus benrobertsi appears to be a software. Additional digital images were taken member of the family Synotaxidae, in possessing through an Olympus BH-2 compound microscope an incised retrolateral margin of the cymbium, an using a Q-Imaging Micropublisher 5.0 RTV excavate paracymbium and a complex terminal mounted camera with Auto-Montage Pro imaging tegular sclerite on the male pedipalp (Agnarsson software by Syncroscopy. All specimens were 2003; Figures 10–12). Other typically synotaxid- described and illustrated in 75% ethyl alcohol, and like characters include patellar macrosetae on female abdomens were cleared in lactic acid or the male pedipalp (Figures 10–12), an anterior dissected and cleared in a gently-heated solution stridulatory system on the male abdomen (Figures of 10% potassium hydroxide. Both male and female 8–9), large, rod-like fertilisation ducts (Figures The spider families Synotaxidae and Malkaridae 297 Figures 1–6 Calcarsynotaxus benrobertsi sp. nov., holotype male (WAM T96175) and allotype female (WAM T96176) from the Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia: 1, live female, lateral view; 2, live male, dorsal view; 3, male habitus, dorsal view; 4, female habitus, dorso-lateral view; 5, male cephalothorax, frontal view; 6, female abdomen, ventral view. 13–14), an external epigynal lobe (Figures 1, 6, analysis is required to determine whether this 13–14), a domed, subtriangular female abdomen species is indeed more closely-related to New and elongate male abdomen (Figures 1–4), cuticular World taxa than to Australasian genera. sculpturing on the male tegular sclerite (Figures Calcarsynotaxus benrobertsi is similar to C. longipes 10–11), and modified anterior