Mem. Nat. Mrs. Vict., 15, 1947 



A NEW HARVESTMAN OF THE SUBFAMILY 

 LIOBUNINAE FROM AUSTRALIA 



By B. B. Forster, Dominion Museum, Wellington, K.Z. 



(Received for publication August 15, 1947.) 



Figs. 1-9 



The species described below is the first record of the sub- 

 family Liobunina? from Australia, the distribution of this sub- 

 family having previously been limited to the northern areas of 

 the world. It seems probable however, that when the Opilionid 

 fauna is more completely known, it will prove to be well repre- 

 sented in Australia. The species described is placed in the genus 

 Nelima Roewer. This genus has a wide distribution, including 

 Europe, Asia and North Africa. The fusion of a number of 

 tergites in the male, as is seen in N. dunni n.sp., is of common 

 occurrence throughout the Liobunina\ 



Order OPILIONES 

 Sub-order Palpatores Thorell 

 Family PHALANGIIBvE Simon 



Subfamily Liobuninae Banks. 



Genus NELIMA Roewer. 



Nelima. dunni n. sp. 

 Female. 



Colour. General colour of dorsal surface of body light choco- 

 late-brown, but broken up by numerous small, closely spaced 

 silvery-white splotches. Tergite 5 silvery white, without brown 

 pigment. On the anterior portion along the middle line of each 

 tergite is a reddish brown area, behind each such area the brown 

 pigment is not as dense as in remainder of tergite, giving the 

 appearance of a median longitudinal pale band broken by the 

 reddish brown areas. Cephalothorax with a dark brown area at 

 both the anterior and posterior corner. Eye-mound white along 

 median line, dark brown laterally, eyes black. Entire ventral 

 surface including coxoe opaque silvery- white. Legs and pedipalps 

 light-brown. 



Body. Entire dorsal surface very finely granulated. Eye 

 mound not as high as wide, sub-spherical, set its own diameter 

 from the anterior margin of the cephalothorax, with a deep 

 median longitudinal groove, armed with a longitudinal row of 

 small spines above each eye. 



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