Systematics of the spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Eucanippe (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae: Aganippini) from south-western Australia: documenting a poorly-known lineage from Australia's biodiversity hotspot

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

The Journal of Arachnology

Publisher

American Museum of Natural History

School

School of Natural Sciences

Comments

Rix, M. G., Main, B. Y., Raven, R. J., & Harvey, M. S. (2018). Systematics of the spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Eucanippe (Mygalomorphae: Idiopidae: Aganippini) from south-western Australia: documenting a poorly-known lineage from Australia's biodiversity hotspot. The Journal of Arachnology, 46(1), 133-154. doi:10.1636/JoA-S-17-030.1

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Abstract

The aganippine spiny trapdoor spiders of the genus Eucanippe Rix, Main, Raven & Harvey, 2017 are revised, and six new species from south-western Australia's biodiversity hotspot are described: E. absita sp. nov., E. agastachys sp. nov., E. eucla sp. nov., E. mallee sp. nov., E. mouldsi sp. nov., and E. nemestrina sp. nov. Species of Eucanippe are among the most enigmatic of Australia's Mygalomorphae, with most taxa known only from pitfall-trapped male specimens. Little is known of their biology, natural history or burrow morphology, and a female specimen was unknown prior to targeted field work in 2017. This revision documents the known diversity of Eucanippe in Australia, and reveals a fauna dominated by species with restricted and largely non-overlapping distributions in the heavily-cleared agricultural zone of Australia's south-west.

DOI

10.1636/JoA-S-17-030.1

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