Genus Masasteron Baehr, 2004

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Regional Maps

• Masasteron Baehr, B.C. 2004. The systematics of a new endemic Australian genus of ant spiders Masasteron (Araneae: Zodariidae). Invertebrate Systematics 18: 661 - 691 [Date published 8 October] [[662 - 663 figs 4A,B, 12C,D, 17E].

  Type species:

   Asteron mas Jocque, 1991 by original designation.

Introduction

Species of the new genus Masasteron, are medium-in size spiders (3.00–7.00 mm body length) and highly uniform in their body shape, with broad oval carapace, chelicerae without teeth, heart-shaped sternum and oval abdomen with a sclerotized tracheal spiracle like all species of the Asteron-complex.

The new genus Masasteron belongs to the large Asteron-complex (Baehr and Jocqué, 1996) and contains 21 species, of which one was already described (Jocqué, 1991). Masasteron is closely related to the more plesiomorphic genus Euasteron and could even be seen as the more derived species-group of this genus. Both groups show a parallel lineage of increasing the size of the AME. Therefore I decided to create the new genus Masasteron with the advanced palp characters as synapomorphies. In the genus Masasteron the two species groups mentioned in Baehr & Jocqué (1996) as Asteron mas-group (Masasteron clifton) and Asteron humphreysi-group (Masasteron tealei) are combined. Masasteron is endemic to Australia.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

NSW: Darling Riverine Plains (DRP) ; NT: Darwin Coastal (DAC), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC) ; Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Central Mackay Coast (CMC) ; SA: Channel Country (CHC), Stony Plains (STP) ; WA: Avon Wheatbelt (AW), Carnarvon (CAR), Geraldton Sandplains (GS), Pilbara (PIL), Swan Coastal Plain (SWA), Victoria Bonaparte (VB), Yalgoo (YAL)

Other Regions

Australian Antarctic Territory

Diagnosis

Species of Masasteron can be recognized mainly by characters of the male palp. Masasteron differs from Cavasteron, Euasteron and Spinasteron by the extremely long prolateral extension of the DTA which is longer than cymbium and tibia, the elongated base of embolus (about twice as long as wide), and the retrolateral origin of the transbasal aerea of embolus TBE. Masasteron differs from Tropasteron and Holasteron by the dorsoventrally flattened embolus base without a prolateral transparent field but with frontal appendage. The epigyne resembles those of Cavasteron, Euasteron, Holasteron and Spinasteron but the copulatory ducts are more coiled.

General References

Baehr, B. & Jocqué, R. 1996. A revision of Asteron, starring male palpal morphology (Araneae, Zodariidae). Proceedings of the XIII International Congress of Arachnology, Geneva, 3-8 September 1995. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 1: 15 - 28

Jocqué, R. 1991. A generic revision of the spider family Zodariidae (Araneae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 201: 1-160

History of changes