Revision of the new Australasian orb-weaving spider genus Salsa (Araneae, Araneidae)

By

Framenau, Volker Wilhelm
Castanheira, Pedro

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1102

Pages

107--148

Subjects

Australia , Backobourkiines , Pacific , South-East Asia , systematics , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1102.82388

 

Abstract

A new Australasian genus in the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae Clerck, 1757 is described to include seven species:Salsa fuliginata(L. Koch, 1871)comb. nov.(type species; =Epeira rubicundulaKeyserling, 1887)syn. nov.) (Australia, introduced to New Zealand);S. brisbanae(L. Koch, 1867)comb. nov.(Australia);S. canalae(Berland, 1924)comb. nov.(New Caledonia);S. nenebasp. nov.(Papua New Guinea);S. recherchensis(Main, 1954)comb. nov.(Australia);S. ruedasp. nov.(Australia); andS. tartarasp. nov.(Australia; Lord Howe Island endemic).Salsagen. nov.belongs to the Australasian informal backobourkiine clade and differs from other genera of this clade by a distinct abdominal shape (single posterior abdominal tubercle) and ventral colouration (pale lateral spindle-shaped bands), male pedipalp morphology (C-shaped median apophysis that has teeth-like tubercles inside the basal arch) and the shape of the female epigyne scape (partially translucent and generally shorter than the epigyne plate). Based mainly on male pedipalp morphology within the backobourkiines,Salsagen. nov.has closest morphological affinities withAcroaspisKarsch, 1878 andSoccaFramenau, Castanheira & Vink, 2022.