The new Australian leaf-curling orb-weaving spider genus Leviana (Araneae, Araneidae)

By

Framenau, Volker Wilhelm
Kuntner, Matjaz̆, 1971-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2022-7-13

Original Publication

Evolutionary systematics

Volume

6

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

103--133

Subjects

Backobourkiines , leaf retreat , new genus , systematics , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Hamburg Centrum für Naturkunde (CeNak) 2017-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.6.83573

 

Abstract

The new Australian orb-weaving spider genusLevianagen. nov.is described to include five species, all known from both sexes:Leviana dimidiata(L. Koch, 1871)comb. nov.(type species) (=Epeira sylvicolaRainbow, 1897syn. nov.),L. cincinnatasp. nov.,L. foliumsp. nov.,L. minimasp. nov.andL. mulieraria(Keyserling, 1887)comb. nov.Male pedipalp morphology, specifically the presence of a single patella spine and the median apophysis forming an arch over the radix, placeLevianagen. nov.in the informal Australian ‘backobourkiine’ clade; however, the genus differs from all other genera of this group by the presence of a spine inside the basal median apophysis arch of the male pedipalp, an epigyne that is wider than long with a scape that is approximately as long as the epigyne (but often broken off) and a lack of humeral humps on the elongate ovoid abdomen. In addition, unlike any other backobourkiine,Levianagen. nov.incorporate a rolled leaf as retreat into the periphery of their web.Levianagen. nov.species exhibit only a moderate sexual size dimorphism with female to male ratios between 1.3 and 1.7.Levianagen. nov.occurs in eastern Australia from northern Queensland in the north to Victoria in the south, with a single tropical species,L. mulierariacomb. nov., spreading into northern Western Australia.