A new candidate for a Gondwanaland distribution in the Zodariidae ( Araneae ) : Australutica in Africa

Two new species of Australutica Jocqué, 1995, a genus formerly only known from Australia, are described from South Africa: A. africana n. sp. from Soutpansberg and A. normanlarseni n. sp. from the Cape Peninsula. Th e taxonomic position of the new species is discussed and a key to the species of Australutica is provided.


Introduction
Th e typical Gondwanaland distribution with representatives in three continents, Africa, Australia and South America, often restricted to the southern parts of the continents, is a well known and relatively common phenomenon of vicariance.In the spider family Zodariidae only one example is known.Th e genus Cyrioctea Simon has been found on all three the continents and as expected only in the southern parts (Platnick & Griffi n, 1988;Platnick & Jocqué, 1992).Other transcontinental distribution patterns like those of the zodariid genera Mallinella Strand and Asceua Th orell have a completely diff erent origin and are the result of dispersion (Jocqué, 1993).
Th e best candidates for a Gondwanaland distribution are ancestral taxa (Jocqué, 1991), which is the case for Cyrioctea and the representatives of the subfamily Lachesaninae.A combination of plesiomorphic characters in this subfamily are the chelicerae with dense frontal cover of setae; cheliceral teeth; fangs which are longer than wide at the base; the eyes in two rows; the abdomen with a complex dark pattern and one of the main synapomorphies are the long, cylindrical and retractile anterior lateral spinnerets.
In 1995, Jocqué described the genus Australutica for four Australian species characterized by numerous spines on the anterior legs.Recently two species of Australutica were found in South Africa, both in areas with a high degree of endemicity.Th e fi rst species is from the Soutpansberg, the second from the Cape Peninsula.Both these areas can be considered as conservative.Th e Soutpansberg is one of the oldest formations in southern Africa and it is assumed that this geomorphologic feature was created by faulting that occurred about 150 Ma ago (Haddon & McCarthy, 2005;Ranganai et al., 2002) and that during the last ± 60 Ma, erosion formed the landscape as we see it today (Partridge & Maud 2000).Th e Soutpansberg species occurs in open woodland with grassy and rocky patches.Th e Cape Peninsula species was collected from dunes.Dunes and shorelines are among the most conservative biomes on earth because of their unaltered structure, independent from major shifts in vegetation cover occurring in other biomes (Jocqué, 2001).Of all the genera in the two ancestral zodariid subfamilies Cyriocteinae (Cyrioctea) and Lachesaninae (Lachesana, Antillorena Jocqué, Australutica, Lutica Marx) at least one species in each genus occurs in sandy desert areas or on beaches along the coast.Th e presence of Australutica in the sandy dunes of the Cape Peninsula is therefore a corroboration of this fi nding.

Material and methods
All measurements are in mm.
Specimens were observed and measured with a Leica M10 stereomicroscope.Photographs were taken with Leica MZ16 and the LAS automontage software.

Taxonomic position
Australutica (urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:10E438FC-8313-45DA-869C-7EA25BAB0DEE)belongs to the Lachesaninae and was so far believed to be restricted to Australia.Th e species described in this paper occur in an area with a very high diversity of Zodariidae, mainly belonging to the subfamily Cydrelinae which has its diversity in southern Africa.A recent phylogenetic analysis of the Zodariidae (Jocqué, in preparation) shows that the Cydrela Th orell is at the base of the Cydrelinae but shares a number of characters with the Lachesaninae.Among these are cylindrical and retractable anterior lateral spinnerets and a male palpal cymbium with dispersed thin spines.However, there are numerous characters that separate Australutica and Cydrela (Table 1).
Th e inclusion of the new species in Australutica is supported by the following diagnostic characters: eye rows slightly procurved; prosoma yellow with darker pattern; abdomen with poorly delimited complex pattern; chelicerae with teeth; length of cheliceral fangs about three times width at base and spiniform scopulae on tarsi.Th e structure of the male palp diff ers in the absence of the median apophysis in the Australian species but this is a phenomenon found in several zodariid genera where species with and without this apophysis occur.On the other hand, the apophysis at the base of the embolus is a remarkable synapomorphy of Australutica supporting the inclusion of the African taxa in this genus.It should be noted that the similarities concern the type species A. moreton Jocqué and not A. quaerens Jocqué, one of the other Australian species, which was only tentatively included in the genus (Jocqué, 1995) as it lacks some of the synapomorphies.

Key to the species of Australutica
Note: only the female of one species of Australutica is known: A. xystarches Jocqué, 1995.Females are thus not considered in this key.Diagnosis Males of this species are recognized by the slightly swollen tibiae and metatarsi I, with spiniform scopulae on tarsi I and by details of the palp: the inferior prong of the RTA is rounded; the distal tegular apophysis is very large and has an angular prolateral edge; the median apophysis is tapered towards the tip.
Etymology Th is species is the fi rst representative of the genus on the African continent.Description Male: total length 5.00 mm; carapace 2.68 mm long, 1.88 mm wide, TI + PI: 1.92.
Colour: carapace yellow, darkened along margin and with two black longitudinal bands and a black spot behind the fovea (Figs 1, 7); fovea orange.Sternum pale yellow, slightly suff used with black along lateral margins.Chelicerae brownish yellow.Legs yellow except femora with broad dark distal rings on all pairs and smaller dark patches at the base of posterior pairs; tibiae with faint darker suff usion on sides.Abdomen pale; dorsum with faint darker pattern delimiting pale chevrons on posterior part.Spinnerets pale yellow.
Carapace smooth; in profi le slightly elevated in cephalic area; with cluster of short setae in front of anterior eyes and in median ocular area (Fig. 3).
Legs fairly short.Tarsi all cylindriform, with strong spiniform scopulae sensu Jocqué 1991 (p. 13).Metatarsi I with spiniform setae.Tibiae I and metarsi I slightly swollen.Spines numerous on anterior legs, very numerous and long on posterior ones.Spination: Palp (Figs 4-6): Cymbium with dispersed thin spines.Tibia with well developed retrolateral apophysis with two short prongs curved towards each other, dorsal one with sharp, inferior one with rounded tip; tegulum broad, sclerotized at base; base of sickle shaped embolus with long prong pointing forward, covering base of terminal distal apophysis which is widened towards tip; median apophysis tapered towards extremity.
Female unknown.Diagnosis Males of this species are recognized by the details of the palp: both the prongs of the RTA are sharp, the distal tegular apophysis has a rounded prolateral edge and the median apophysis is fairly broad, somewhat enlarged in the middle and with a short sharp turn at the end.
Etymology Named after Norman Larsen, a dedicated collector of spiders who found the holotype, the only specimen of this species so far known.
Description Male: total length 3.60 mm; carapace 2.36 mm long, 1.72 mm wide, TI + PI: 1.60.Colour: carapace pale yellow strongly suff used with black on sides leaving a pale central pattern (Fig. 8); fovea orange.Sternum pale yellow, broadly suff used with black along lateral margins.Chelicerae brownish orange.Legs pale yellow, femora and tibiae with distal and proximal black ring, patellae dark on sides; tarsi and metatarsi pale yellow.Abdomen white on dorsum with dark pattern consisting of dark frontal mark followed by two pairs of black spots and dark transverse stripe in front of spinnerets; sides dark; venter brownish orange.Spinnerets pale yellow.
Carapace smooth; in profi le slightly elevated in cephalic area; with cluster of short setae in front of anterior eyes.
Legs fairly short.Tarsi all cylindriform, with strong spiniform scopulae sensu Jocqué 1991 (p. 13).Spines numerous on anterior legs, very numerous and long on posterior ones.Palp (Figs 9-10): Cymbium with dispersed thin spines.Tibia with well developed lateral apophysis with two short prongs curved towards each other, both with sharp tip; tegulum broad, membranous at base; base of sickle shaped embolus with triangular tip pointing forward, covering base of terminal distal outward curved apophysis; median apophysis fairly broad, somewhat enlarged in the middle and with short sharp turn at extremity.Female unknown.Distribution Only known from type locality.

Table 1 .
Principal diff erences between Australutica and Cydrela Distribution Only known from type locality.