The goblin spider genus Opopaea in Australia and the Pacific Islands (Araneae: Oonopidae)

B.C. Baehr, Mark Harvey, H.M. Smith, R. Ott

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    Abstract

    The widespread and highly diverse goblin spider genus Opopaea Simon is a pantropical genus with biodiversity hotspots in Africa, Asia and Australia. We revise the Australian and Pacific species of the genus, provide redescriptions of the Australian species O. banksi (Hickman) and the Micronesian species O. foveolata Roewer, and new records of the pantropical O. deserticola Simon and O. concolor (Blackwall), as well as O. apicalis (Simon) which is newly transferred from Epectris, after the new synonymy of Epectris with Opopaea. The following species are provisionally transferred from Epectris to Opopaea, pending investigations into their generic affinities: O. conujaingensis (Xu), new combination from China; and O. mollis (Simon), new combination from Sri Lanka. Most Pacific Islands are inhabited by the four above-mentioned species but the following 15 newly described species are most likely native to the islands: from Fiji (O. fiji), Hawaii (O. hawaii), Palau (O. palau), New Caledonia (O. amieu, O. bicolor, O. burwelli, O. calcaris, O. goloboffi, O. monteithi, O. ndoua, O. platnicki, O. raveni, O. striata, O. touho, O. tuberculata). We treat the Australian Opopaea fauna and recognise 84 species including 71 new and 13 previously described species. The new Australian species include 21 species from New South Wales (O. acuminata, O. addsae, O. bushblitz, O. gerstmeieri, O. lebretoni, O. linea (also occurs in Queensland), O. magna, O. margaretehoffmannae, O. martini, O. michaeli, O. milledgei, O. nitens, O. ottoi, O. plana, O. simplex, O. sturt, O. suelewisae, O. sylvestrella, O. tenuis, O. ursulae, O. yorki); six from Northern Territory (O. ephemera, O. fishriver, O. gilliesi, O. johardingae, O. preecei, O. wongalara); 13 from Queensland (O. ameyi, O. brisbanensis, O. broadwater, O. carnarvon, O. carteri, O. chrisconwayi, O. douglasi, O. lambkinae, O. leichhardti, O. mcleani, O. proserpine, O. stanisici, O. ulrichi); three from South Australia (O. millbrook, O. mundy, O. stevensi); and 28 from Western Australia (O. aculeata, O. aurantiaca, O. billroth, O. callani, O. cowra, O. durranti, O. exoculata, O. flava, O. fragilis, O. framenaui, O. gracilis, O. gracillima, O. harmsi, O. johannae, O. julianneae, O. marangaroo, O. millstream, O. nadineae, O. pallida, O. pannawonica, O. pilbara, O. rixi, O. robusta, O. rugosa, O. subtilis, O. triangularis, O. wheelarra, O. whim). New records are provided for O. sown Baehr. Seven area-based keys to species are provided. © The State of Queensland, Queensland Museum 2013.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)107-192
    JournalMemoirs of the Queensland Museum
    Volume58
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

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