A review of the Water spider family Pisauridae in Australia and New Caledonia with descriptions of four new genera and 23 new species

Abstract

The family Pisauridae for Australia and the western Pacific is revised. The Australian fauna includes Dolomedes, Megadolomedes, Hygropoda, Perenethis, Dendrolycosa and Inola along with 3 new genera, Tasmomedes, gen. nov., Ornodolomedes, gen. nov., and Mangromedes, gen. nov. Dolomedes in the region includes 16 species. four of which are known – Dolomedes facetus L. Koch, 1876, Dolomedes albicomus L. Koch, 1867, Dolomedes instabilis L. Koch, 1876 and Dolomedes flaminius L. Koch, 1867– plus 9 that are new: Dolomedes vicque sp. nov. from Victoria to Queensland, Dolomedes briangreenei sp. nov. and Dolomedes venmani sp. nov. in New South Wales and Queensland, Dolomedes alexandri sp. nov., from the Australian Capital Territory, Dolomedes pedder sp. nov. and Dolomedes lizturnerae sp. nov. from Tasmania, Dolomedes wollemi sp. nov. from New South Wales, Dolomedes mankorlod sp. nov. from the Northern Territory, Dolomedes karijini sp. nov. from Western Australia. Of those, Dolomedes flaminius remains the most perplexing as no further material has been located from the Brisbane area from which it putatively came prior to 1867; the locality is presumed wrong. Dolomedes stilatus Karsch, 1878 is a synonym of Perenethis venusta L. Koch, 1878. Dolomedes habilis Hogg, 1906 is a junior synonym of Dolomedes instabilis. Dolomedes chroesus Strand, 1911 is removed from the fauna of Australia because of misidentifications. The newly rediscovered Dolomedes eberhardarum Strand, 1913 from Tasmania and Victoria is transferred to the new genus, Tasmomedes. A new species of Megadolomedes, Megadolomedes johndouglasi is described from Tasmania and Victoria; Megadolomedes trux Lamb, 1911 is restored as the northern relative of Megadolomedes australianus (L. Koch, 1865); Megadolomedes nord sp. nov. is described from Cape York. Nilus kochi Roewer, 1951 is rediscovered in mangroves in Queensland and with a new species from the Northern Territory (Mangromedes porusus sp. nov.), is transferred to Mangromedes, gen. nov. A new genus, Ornodolomedes, is described in which the spiders hunt freely at night on leaves on rainforest and closed eucalypt forest; the spiders have bold carapace and abdominal patterns. The genus includes 10 new species. from Queensland, Ornodolomedes mickfanningi sp. nov., Ornodolomedes benrevelli sp. nov., Ornodolomedes gorenpul sp. nov., Ornodolomedes yalangi sp. nov., Ornodolomedes nebulosus sp. nov., Ornodolomedes xypee sp. nov. and Ornodolomedes marshi sp. nov.; Ornodolomedes staricki sp. nov. from Victoria; from Western Australia, Ornodolomedes nicholsoni sp. nov., and Ornodolomedes southcotti sp. nov. from South Australia. In Dendrolycosa, the male of Dendrolycosa icadia (L. Koch, 1878) is described for the first time and one new species, Dendrolycosa kakadu sp. nov. is described from the Northern Territory. Dendrolycosa yuka Jäger, 2011 is considered African, not Australian. The male of Hygropoda lineata (Thorell, 1881) is described for the first time. The widespread species Perenethis venusta L. Koch, 1878 is described and figured and a diagnosis of Inola is provided. The New Caledonian fauna includes 3 species of Dolomedes (Dolomedes titan Berland, 1924, Dolomedes neocaledonicus Berland, 1924, Dolomedes lafoensis Berland, 1924), Dendrolycosa icadia, Bradystichus Simon, 1880 and a new genus, Caledomedes, gen. nov. Males and females of Dolomedes titan and Dolomedes neocaledonicus are redescribed and figured; Dolomedes lafoensis is reviewed. The New Hebrides Do. naja Berland, 1938 is is probably a sysnonym of Do. facetus. The misplaced lycosid Anoteropsis flavovittata is transferred to a new genus Caledomedes. The enigmatic Bradystichus is reviewed. All 11 genera and 39 species are diagnosed and mapped; all genera are keyed and keys to species of genera with more than two species are provided.