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Paraplatoides Zabka, 1992

Taxonomy

Paraplatoides is found in New Caledonia as well as in Australia which has six species, Paraplatoides christopheri, P. darwini, P. hirsti, P. longulus, P. nigrum and P. tenerrima. The genus is part of an Australasian clade (Maddison et al 2008) including Abracadabrella, Apricia, Clynotis, Holoplatys, Huntiglennia, Ocrisiona, Opisthoncus, Pungalina, Tara, Trite and Zebraplatys (Maddison 2015).  Further information on the genus and described species in Australia can be found in Richardson and Żabka (2017).

Description

Paraplatoides spp. are medium-sized, extremely elongate spiders, ranging in body length from 4 to 8 mm. The cephalothorax is very flattened. The head, viewed from above, is elongate-pear-shaped, widest behind the posterior lateral eyes. Chelicerae have a single (unident) retromarginal tooth and two promarginal teeth. The first pair of legs is much stronger than the others.

The male’s palp has a long, slender embolus arising on the prolateral side of the tegulum and forming a clockwise quarter circle around it. The tegulum is roundish, without a proximal lobe, with a groove running along its face. The palpal tibia has a single, short, pointed retro-lateral tibial apophysis.

The female has a single, faintly-outlined epigynal atria. The copulatory openings are located near the lateral margins of the atrium. The insemination ducts lead posterio-laterally to the spermathecae. The spermathecae have an inverted pear shape and are located close to the midline. The epigastric fold has a median notch.

Biology

Paraplatoides has been collected in habitats ranging from beaches to grassland and open forest under bark and stones but mostly from grass by sweeping or fogging or in pitfall traps.

Distribution

Paraplatoides occurs widely across Australia, including Tasmania.

References

Maddison, W.P. 2015 A phylogenetic classification of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Arachnology 43, 231-292.

Maddison, W.P., Bodner, M.R. & Needham, K.M. 2008. Salticid spider phylogeny revisited, with the discovery of a large Australian clade (Araneae: Salticidae). Zootaxa 1893, 49-64.

Richardson, B.J. & Żabka, M. 2017. Salticidae. Arachnida: Araneomorphae. Canberra, Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, at https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/SALTICIDAE.

Żabka, M. 1992. Salticidae (Arachnida: Araneae) from Oriental, Australian and Pacific Regions, VII. Paraplatoides and Grayenulla — New genera from Australia and New Caledonia. Records of the Australian Museum 44, 165-183.

* The information sheet should be read in the context of the associated diagrams and photographs. Diagrams explaining anatomical terms can be found in the ‘Salticidae’ pictures at the beginning of the list of genera.