Endemic Australian Genus Research Articles

Acroseius womersleyi gen. nov., sp. nov., a new genus and species of Uropodina from Australia (Acari: Trachytidae)

A new endemic Australian genus Acroseius gen. nov. (Acari: Trachytidae) is described, with type species Polyaspinus tuberculatus Womersley, 1961. Acroseius womersleyi sp. nov. is described, and differential diagnoses for the new genus and the two species of Acroseius are presented.

A revision of the Australian endemic water beetle genus Gymnanthelius Perkins (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae)

The Australian endemic water beetle genus Gymnanthelius Perkins is revised, based on the study of 1,995 specimens. Five new species are described: G. lamingtonensis (Queensland, Lamington, Binna Burra), G. maxipunctus (New South Wales), G. opacicollis (Victoria, Traralgon Creek., 0.2 km N. “Hogg Bridge”, 5.0 km NNW Balook), G. porchi (Victoria, Possum Hollow Falls, W. br. Tarwin River, 5.6 km SSW Allambee), and G. tunicus (Victoria, Traralgon Creek., 0.2 km N. “Hogg Bridge”, 5.0 km NNW Balook). A key to the eight known species is given. High resolution digital images of all holotypes are presented (online version in color), geographic distributions are mapped, and the male genitalia are illustrated. Available microhabitat data indicate that Gymnanthelius species prefer cooler climates, either at lower elevations in southern latitudes or higher elevations in more northern latitudes; southern species are usually found in muddy/silty substrates, whereas more northern species are typically found in sandy/gravelly substrates.

Armatalona gen. n. – a new genus of subfamily Aloninae (Anomopoda, Chydoridae), separated from genus Alona Baird, 1840

The little-known cladoceran Alona macrocopa Sars, 1894 and four related species differ from the majority of the genus Alona by unusual morphology of antenna and postabdomen. Only two species of the five, A. macrocopa Sars, 1894 and A. imitatoria Smirnov, 1989, are found to be valid. The species A. abbreviata Sars, 1895, A. duodontha Henry, 1922 and A. guernei Smirnov, 2001 are proved to be the synonims of A. macrocopa. The detailed morphology of appendages of A. macrocopa and A. imitatoria is studied for the first time. Analysis of morphology of the macrocopa-group reveals numerous characters clearly separating it from other species of Alona despite the wide diversity of this genus. Unusual morphology of the antenna, and the female and male postabdomen does not allow placement of the macrocopa-group in any other genera of Aloninae. So the new genus Armatalona gen. n. is suggested. This new genus is the highly specialized marginal genus of Aloninae, closely related only to the Australian endemic genus Pseudomonospilus Smirnov, 2001. The morphology of Armatalona gen. n. and its place within Aloninae are discussed.

The systematics of a new endemic Australian genus of ant spiders Masasteron (Araneae : Zodariidae)

A new Australian zodariid genus Masasteron, gen. nov. is proposed for 20 newly described and one known species belonging to the following seven species-groups: Masasteron mas-group: M. bennieae, sp. nov., M.�bipunctatum, sp. nov., M. mas (Jocqué, 1991), M. ocellum, sp. nov., and M. queensland, sp. nov. Masasteron maini-group: M. maini, sp. nov., and M. tuart, sp. nov. Masasteron deserticola-group: M. clifton, sp. nov., M.�deserticola, sp. nov., and M. derby, sp. nov. The remaining four species-groups form the M. complector-clade. Masasteron mackenziei-group: M. mackenziei, sp. nov., and M. sampeyae, sp. nov. Masasteron burbidgei-group: M.�burbidgei, sp. nov. and M. haroldi, sp. nov. Masasteron darwin-group: M. barkly, sp. nov., M. darwin, sp. nov., and M. utae, sp. nov. Masasteron complector-group: M. complector, sp. nov., M. gracilis, sp. nov., M. piankai, sp.�nov. and M. tealei, sp. nov. Most new species are described from specimens of both sexes, but M. bennieae, sp.��nov., M. tuart, sp. nov., M. derby, sp. nov., M. mackenziei, sp. nov., M. haroldi, sp. nov., M. darwin, sp. nov., M.�utae, sp. nov. and M. gracilis, sp. nov. are known only from males. The possible relationships of the Masasteron species-groups are analysed with NONA and also reconstructed applying the original Hennigian method. The��results indicate that the genus Masasteron, gen. nov. is monophyletic, but closely related to Euasteron (Baehr,�2003a). Additional keywords: Zodariidae, Masasteron, new species from Australia

Revision of the Australian spider genus Habronestes (Araneae: Zodariidae). Species of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory

The genus Habronestes L. Koch, 1872 is revised for the species of New South Wales. The genus now contains 28 species Australia-wide, with 23 species recorded from New South Wales. Habronestes bradleyi (Pickard-Cambridge, 1869), Habronestes macedonensis (Hogg, 1900) and Habronestes pictus (L. Koch, 1865), are redescribed and 20 species are newly described as: H. bicornis n.sp., H. driscolli n.sp., H. giganteus n.sp., H. grahami n.sp., H. hebronae n.sp., H. helenae n.sp., H. hamatus n.sp., H. hunti n.sp., H. jocquei n.sp., H. longiconductor n.sp., H. grayi n.sp., H. minor n.sp., H. monocornis n.sp., H. piccolo n.sp., H. pseudoaustraliensis n.sp., H. ungari n.sp., H. raveni n.sp., H. rawlinsonae n.sp., H. weelahensis n.sp., H. wilkiei n.sp. The species are divided between three speciesgroups, according to their eye configuration. A key is provided for the three groups as well as for the species. BAEHR, BARBARA, 2003. Revision of the Australian spider genus Habronestes (Araneae: Zodariidae). Species of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Records of the Australian Museum 55(3): 343–376. Records of the Australian Museum (2003) Vol. 55: 343–376. ISSN 0067-1975 www.amonline.net.au/pdf/publications/1389_complete.pdf This systematic paper provides the first overview of the large, endemic Australian genus Habronestes. As a result of this review, Habronestes now contains 28 species, of which only eight were previously described. This endemic genus is part of the predominantly tropical ant-eating and ant mimicking spider family Zodariidae, one of the most diverse spider families in Australia. They associate with ants and prefer them as food. Studies on Habronestes bradleyi (Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) have shown that these spiders not only mimic the body-shape and behaviour but also the pheromones of ants (Allan et al., 1996). Like ants, Habronestes species are found mainly in semi-arid areas of Australia. The genus contains about 80–100 species of small to medium-sized spiders (2.5–10.5 mm). This paper is the first part of the revision of the entire genus and deals only with the fauna of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Material and methods All descriptions are generated with the aid of Intkey (Dallwitz et al., 1998) and shortened where possible. Epigynes were cleared in lactic acid. Different drawing methods and kinds of paper were experimented with to get best results for showing characters. Schoellershammer Zeichenpapier, 4G, glatt 250g/m, ref. 010915 and Staedtler omnichrom 108, black pencil and black ink Faber-Castel, seems to be the best combination (e.g., compare Figs. 119, 120—drawn with the aforementioned tools—with 117, 118). Drawings were taken from body, right palp, epigyne and vulva. All measurements are in mm. Detailed spination patterns of legs were not given but special (autapomorphic or synapomorphic) spination characters are mentioned. Colour patterns were described from spiders in alcohol. The white abdominal patches, mentioned in the descriptions,

Molecular phylogeny and evolutionary biology of Acrodipsas (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Most butterflies in the family Lycaenidae associate with ants but fewer than 3% are myrmecophagous. Larvae of the Australian endemic butterfly genus Acrodipsas parasitise the nests of ants from two subfamilies and, thus, constitute an interesting and uncommon myrmecophagous radiation within the Lepidoptera. Phylogenetic relationships among Acrodipsas species were inferred from fragments of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunits I and II totalling 1155 bp using maximum parsimony and a neighbour joining method. Monophyly of the genus was confirmed, as was the sister genus status of Lucia. Acrodipsas myrmecophila was established as the plesiotypic Acrodipsas species, which together with Acrodipsas brisbanensis parasitises the ancestral dolichoderine host-ants. A speciation event associated with a radical host-ant shift to Myrmicinae occurred in an ancestor of Acrodipsas cuprea but subsequent speciation events may have been driven by climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. Modifications to leg morphology in several species were found to be a synapomorphic state, which arose subsequent to the host-shift to Myrmicinae. Minimal genetic variation detected in allopatric species exhibiting divergent morphology suggests that phenotypic variability has been driven by strong environmental selective pressures. As a result, morphological differences between closely related allopatric species have evolved faster than genetic differences, most notably between Acrodipsas arcana and Acrodipsas illidgei. In contrast, sympatric lineages of A. brisbanensis across similar habitats show considerable genetic differentiation, yet have remained phenotypically indistinguishable. Successful amplification of short overlapping fragments of DNA from museum specimens confirms their utility for phylogenetic analysis when the availability of fresh tissue is limited.

Revision of the endemic Australian genus Spinasteron (Araneae : Zodariidae): taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography

This revision of the endemic Australian zodariid genus Spinasteron Baehr, 2003 revealed 19 species. Sixteen species could be placed in two species-groups: the S. nigriceps-group: S. barlee, sp. nov., S. cavasteroides, sp. nov., S. arenarium, sp. nov., S. knowlesi, sp. nov., S. lemleyi, sp. nov., S. longbottomi, sp. nov., S. mjobergi, sp. nov., S. nigriceps Baehr, 2003, S. waldockae, sp. nov., S. weiri, sp. nov. and S. woodstock, sp. nov.; and the S.�ramboldi-group: S. casuarium, sp. nov., S. kronestedti, sp. nov., S. ramboldi, sp. nov., S. spatulanum, sp. nov. and S. westi, sp. nov. Three species (S. ludwigi, sp. nov., S. sanford Baehr, 2003 and S. peron, sp. nov.) could not be placed in any species-group. Females from only four of the new species (S. arenarium, sp. nov., S. barlee, sp. nov., S. weiri, sp. nov. and S. westi, sp. nov.) were available for this study. The possible relationships of the species-groups and species are analysed with Hennig86, NONA and also reconstructed using the original Hennigian method. All three methods indicate that only two species-groups (S. nigriceps-group and S. ramboldi-group) represent independent lineages, whereas S. sanford and S. ludwigi, sp. nov. can be seen as the basal sister-species of both. The placement of S. peron, sp. nov. is uncertain.

Taxonomic revision of Guichenotia (Lasiopetaleae: Malvaceae s.l. or Sterculiaceae)

Taxonomic revision of the endemic Western Australian genus Guichenotia J.Gay identified 17 taxa, including seven previously recognised species and 10 new species, which are G. asteriskos C.F.Wilkins, G.�astropletha C.F.Wilkins, G. basivirida C.F.Wilkins, G. glandulosa C.F.Wilkins, G. impudica C.F.Wilkins, G.�intermedia C.F.Wilkins, G. quasicalva C.F.Wilkins, G. seorsiflora C.F.Wilkins, G. tuberculata C.F.Wilkins and G. anota C.F.Wilkins.Cladistic analysis of morphological characters showed Guichenotia to be biphyletic with Guichenotia s.s., forming a clade that, although it has no bootstrap support, shares characters of 3–5 central prominent ribs on the outer surface of each calyx lobe, five carpels and petiolate bracts. G. apetala A.S.George and the closely related new species G. anota C.F.Wilkins ms form a strongly supported clade characterised by one central external rib on the outer surface of each calyx lobe, lobes with a rounded apex that are less than 40% of the total calyx length, leaves with prominent yellow venation on the adaxial surface, a tubular stigma with a rimmed pore where the apical 1/4 of the style is slightly wider than the base and no petals. These two clades are unresolved relative to Lasiopetalum by cladistic analysis of their morphology. Guichenotia s.s. is maintained as a genus, the species of which are revised here, pending clarification of its relationship to Lasiopetalum. The second clade will be described separately when the relationships of the Lasiopetalum–Guichenotia clade have been better resolved. A key is presented for all species of Guichenotia s.l. Descriptions, distribution maps, illustrations and anatomical findings are presented for Guichenotia s.s.

Reassessment of Australia's oldest freshwater snail, Viviparus (?) albascopularis Etheridge, 1902 (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Viviparidae), from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian, Wallumbilla Formation) of White Cliffs, New South Wales

Viviparus (?) albascopularis Etheridge, 1902 is Australia's oldest documented fossil freshwater gastropod. The taxon was established on the basis of a single opalised shell from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) marine deposits of the Wallumbilla Formation (Doncaster Member) at White Cliffs, New South Wales. Reassessment indicates that original placement in the caenogastropod family Viviparidae is justified; however, the specimen is reassigned to the endemic Australian genus Notopala Cotton, 1935 on the basis of shell morphology and close morphometric similarity to extant species. Implications for the origins and current distribution of Australian viviparid taxa are discussed.

New species of the Australian endemic wasp genus Notosigalphus van Achterberg and Austin (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Flinders Island, Tasmania

A new species of the braconid genus Notosigalphus is described from Flinders Island, Tasmania (N. sophae Iqbal and Austin sp. n). This is the third species recorded of this rare Australian endemic genus, and the first member of the subfamily Sigalphinae to be recorded elsewhere than on the mainland. A key to separate species of Notosigalphus is presented, as is a discussion of relationships, distribution and biology of the subfamily in Australia.

A molecular phylogeny of the endemic Australian genusGastrolobium(Fabaceae: Mirbelieae) and allied genera using chloroplast and nuclear markers

Gastrolobium (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae) is an endemic Australian genus that produces toxic sodium monofluoroacetate. A phylogenetic reconstruction of Gastrolobium and the related genera Brachysema, Callistachys, Jansonia, Nemcia, Oxylobium, and Podolobium is presented, using sequence data from three regions-the psbA-trnH intergenic spacer and the trnK 5' intron from chloroplast DNA and the 3' end of the external transcribed spacer (ETS) from nuclear ribosomal DNA. Gastrolobium is shown to be paraphyletic, with Brachysema, Jansonia, Nemcia, and Oxylobium lineare nesting within it, and Nemcia is shown to be polyphyletic within Gastrolobium. Past key morphological characters, such as fluoroacetate content and characters associated with pollination syndrome, are shown to be homoplastic, with fluoroacetate possibly a plesiomorphic condition lost in more derived species. Podolobium is also shown to be polyphyletic, with the P. ilicifolium group sister to Gastrolobium and the P. alpestre group sister to Callistachys, a member of the Oxylobium group. It is recommended that Gastrolobium be expanded to include Brachysema, Jansonia, Nemcia, and Oxylobium lineare, while further work is required to test the sister-group relationship between Podolobium s.s. (sensu stricto) and Gastrolobium.

Two new endemic Australian genera in the tribe Brongniartieae (Fabaceae) to accommodate two species formerly included in Templetonia R.Br

Two new endemic Australian genera in the tribe Brongniartieae (Fabaceae) to accommodate two species formerly included in Templetonia R.Br

Revision of the Endemic Australian Genus Sancho (Amphipoda, Eusiridae)

Revision of the Endemic Australian Genus Sancho (Amphipoda, Eusiridae)

Revision of the genus Apterodromia (Diptera: Empidoidea), with a redefinition of the tribe Ocydromiini

The Australian endemic genus Apterodromia Oldroyd (Diptera: Empidoidea) is revised and includes four apterous species ( A. evansi Oldroyd, A. minuta n.sp, A. setosa n.sp., and A. tasmanica n.sp.) and eight fully winged species (A. aurea n.sp., A. bickeli n.sp., A. irrorata n.sp., A. monticola n.sp., A. pala n.sp., A. spilota n.sp., A. tonnoiri n.sp., and A. vespertina n.sp.). The male of A. evansi is described and zoogeographic patterns of the genus are discussed. On the basis of wing venation and male terminalia Apterodromia is transferred from the Tachydromiinae to the tribe Ocydromiini (subfamily Ocydromiinae). The Ocydromiini is redefined, two new genera (Neotrichina n.gen. and Leptodromia n.gen.) are described, and all included genera are listed. Keys to major lineages of Australian Empidoidea and Southern Hemisphere genera of Ocydromiini are provided. The following new combinations are listed: Hoplopeza tachydromiaeformis (Bezzi), Leptodromia bimaculata (Bezzi), Neotrichina abdominalis (Collin), N. digna (Collin), N. digressa (Collin), N. distincta (Collin), N. elegans (Bigot), N. fida (Collin), N. indiga (Collin), N. insignis (Collin), N. insons (Collin), N. laeta (Collin), N. media (Collin), and N. obscurata (Collin). SINCLAIR, BRADLEY J., & JEFFREY M. CUMMING, 2000. Revision of the genus Apterodromia (Diptera: Empidoidea), with a redefinition of the tribe Ocydromiini. Records of the Australian Museum 52(2): 161-186.

The morphology, taxonomy, and molecular phylogeny of Heterocladia and Trigenea (rhodomelaceae, rhodophyta), with delineation of the little‐known tribe Heterocladieae*

A morphological, anatomical, and molecular study of the two genera (Heterocladia and Trigenea) and three species of the tribe Heterocladieae (Rhodomelaceae, Ceramiales) is presented. First collections of male and female gametophytes of Heterocladia australis Decaisne and Trigenea umbellata J. Agardh and of tetrasporophytes of the type species of Trigenea, T. australis Sonder, have allowed a much clearer assessment of these taxa from a classical morphological standpoint. Reproductive and vegetative characters of the two Trigenea species are shown to be virtually identical to those of Heterocladia, which differs from Trigenea principally in having both flattened and terete lateral branches, as opposed to exclusively terete axes throughout. As a consequence, we propose to transfer the Trigenea species to the earlier‐named genus Heterocladia as H. caudata L. Phillips, H.‐G. Choi, G.W. Saunders et Kraft, nom. nov. and H. umbellata ( J. Agardh) L. Phillips, H.‐G. Choi, G.W. Saunders et Kraft, comb. nov. The close relationship of the three species is supported by molecular data, as nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA gene from each are nearly identical. The same sequences from species of eight other rhodomelaceous genera plus those from five outgroup taxa are analyzed to provide grounds for preliminary phylogenetic inferences about the position of the Heterocladieae in the Rhodomelaceae. Both the Heterocladieae and the Rhodomelaceae are monophyletic taxa in our analyses, the Heterocladieae grouping weakly with the Bostrychieae and the problematic Australian endemic genus Sonderella, the latter yet to be assigned to a tribe. Representatives of groups with which Heterocladia has been associated previously, such as the Lophothalieae and Brongniartelleae, appear to be only distantly related, although many more taxa need to be analyzed before the systematic position of the genus becomes clear.

Relationships of the endemic Australian genus Huxleya Ewart & Rees (Labiatae) based on of fruit and flavonoid characters

The mature fruits of Huxleya linifolia Ewart & Rees (Labiatae) and the flavonoid profile of the species are described for thefirst time. On the basis of this new information, it seems likely that thegenus Huxleya is more closely related toClerodendrum rather than to Oxeraand Faradaya as thought previously.

Morphological and taxonomic studies of selected genera from the tribe Amansieae (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

The morphology and taxonomy of seven poorly understood species from five genera of the Amansieae are documented. The basic characters by which genera of the tribe are currently distinguished include: (1) the number of pericentral cells; (2) the degree of thallus flattening and lateral wing development; (3) the type of endogenous branching; (4) branch and/or spine features of blade margins; and (5) the position of reproductive axes. Two Australian species of Enantiocladia Falkenberg, E. robinsonii (J.Agardh) Falkenberg and E. axillaris Falkenberg, do not conform to the defining features of Enantiocladia as exhibited by specimens of the type species examined in this study, and the two new genera Plectrophora and Nanopera are proposed to accommodate them. The genusKuetzingia Sonder has previously included four species, the three Australian endemics K. canaliculata (Greville) Sonder, K. angusta (Harvey) and K. pectinella (Harvey) Falkenberg, and the South African K. natalensis J.Agardh. Phoographs in AD of the holotype specimen of Kuetzingia pectinella indicate that it is an earlier taxonomic synonym of Enantiocladia robinsonii and is thus the type species of the genus Plectrophora Wilson et Kraft. Kuetzingia natalensis is also transferred to Plectrophora, leaving Kuetzingia as an Australian-endemic genus of two species. A rare tropical-Atlantic species previously credited to Protokuetzingia, P. schottii Taylor, is provisionally transferred to Enantiocladia because the number of its pericentral cells and the position of its procarps conform to that of the Caribbean type species of Enantiocladia, E. duperreyi (C.Agardh) Falkenberg. This transfer leaves Protokuetzingia monotypic and also an Australian-endemic genus. A review of the genera of the Amansieae is given and conclusions are drawn as to the generic criteria most likely to be important within the tribe.

The Micro-caddisflies of Lord Howe Island (Hydroptilidae: Trichoptera: Insecta)

Hydroptilid species are described from Lord Howe Island for the first time. All four species are in the endemic Australian genus Orphninotrichia, and all are endemic to Lord Howe Island. Modifications exhibited by these new species to the normally conservative Orphninotrichia features are suggestive of sympatric speciation and, for several, of a shift in larval niche.

Bursaria (Pittosporaceae): a morphometric analysis and revision

Bursariais an endemic Australian genus of mostlyspinescent, scruffy shrubs and trees, found in all but the most arid or alpineareas. Previous classifications include many infraspecific taxa and haveproved unworkable in eastern Australia. This paper presents a revision of thegenus. On the basis of phenetic analyses of morphometric characters thefollowing taxa are now recognised: B. calcicolaL.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford, B. incana Lindl.,B. longisepala Domin,B. occidentalis E.M.Benn.,B. reevesii L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford,B. spinosa Cav. subsp. lasiophylla (E.M.Benn.) L.Cayzer, Crisp & I.Telford, B. spinosasubsp. spinosa and B. tenuifoliaF.M.Bail. Two are described as new(B. calcicola, B. reevesii), and one is changed in rank:B. spinosa subsp. lasiophylla(formerly B. lasiophylla E.M.Benn.). None of the otherinfraspecific taxa recognised previously is supported by our analyses.

Taxonomic revision of Leptomeria (Santalaceae)

The endemic Australian genus Leptomeria(Santalaceae) is revised. Seventeen species are recognised, and two of these,L. ellytesand L. furtiva, are described as new. A key, descriptions, notes and distribution maps are provided for all species, as well as illustrations for selected taxa.