Costacosa, a new genus of wolf spider (Araneae, Lycosidae) from coastal north-west Western Australia

Abstract

-A new genus of wolf spider (family Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833), Costacosa gen. nov. is described from north-west Western Australia to include C. torbjorni sp. nov. (type species) and C. dondalei sp. nov. The genus belongs to the subfamily Lycosinae Sundevall, 1833 and differs from all other Australian genera in this subfamily with similar somatic morphology, in particular Venator Hogg, 1900 and Knoelle Framenau, 2006, mainly in genitalic characters. The tegular apophysis of the male pedipalp has a pronounced ventral spur, a distinct ventral edge of species-specific shape and serrations along its apical edge. The female epigyne has an elongated triangular atrium and the medium septum is longer than the posterior transverse part. Costacosa are medium-sized wolf spiders of overall brown colouration and with broad light median and sublateral bands on the carapace and a black patch in the frontal two-thirds of the venter. Costacosa torbjorni is the most commonly recorded wolf spider on Barrow Island, from where currently seven species of Lycosidae are known.

Portacosa, a new genus for the south-east Australian Grey Wolf Spider (Araneae, Lycosidae, Lycosinae)

“…Portacosa gen. n. lacks any of the proposed synapomorphies of other Australian members of the Lycosinae, i.e. the tegular apophysis is not retrolaterally incised as in Venator Hogg, 1900(Framenau 2015, the carapace lacks a Union-Jack pattern as in Tasmanicosa Roewer, 1959 (Framenau andBaehr 2016), the pedipalp lacks a large patch of apical setae as in Knoelle Framenau, 2006(Framenau 2006a, the tegular apophysis is not elongated and spiders do not show turret-building behaviour as in Dingosa (Framenau and Baehr 2007), the carapace and abdomen are not dorsoventrally flattened as in Tapetosa Framenau, Main, Waldock & Harvey, 2009(Framenau et al 2009, the tegular apophysis lacks apical serrations as in Costacosa Leung, 2013 (Framenau andLeung 2013), the abdomen is not dark with transverse light bands and spiders do not display turret-building behaviour as in Mainosa (Framenau 2006b, and male pedipalp cymbia do not have a compound apical hook as in Venatrix Roewer, 1960and Tuberculosa Framenau & Yoo, 2006(Framenau and Vink 2001Framenau and Yoo 2006).…”

Generic and family transfers, and numina dubia for orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae) in the Australasian, Oriental and Pacific regions

“…the wolf spiders (Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833) in which 17 species are currently placed in the Mediterranean genus Lycosa Latreille, 1804 where they were originally placed by early European arachnologists (e.g. Framenau and Baehr 2016;Framenau and Leung 2013;Framenau and Vink 2001). Three genera of orb-weaving spiders are eliminated from the Australian fauna, one based on a misplaced species (Verrucosa) and two now considered nomina dubia (Collina and Heurodes).…”

Peer Review #1 of "Wolf spider burrows from a modern saline sandflat in central Argentina: morphology, taphonomy and clues for recognition of fossil examples (v0.1)"

“…sandy seashores, dune heaths, limestone areas and desert nanophanerophyte steppe) (Logunov, 2011). Some wolf spider species have specific habit preferences, as is the case of halotolerant species that inhabit the surface of salt lakes, most of them included in Tetralycosa and other species as Lycosa salifodina McKay, 1976 from Australia (Hudson & Adams, 1996;Framenau & Leung, 2013), and two other Argentinian species including Pavocosa sp. In particular, Pavocosa sp.…”