Integrative taxonomy of six new species in the Aname spicata-complex (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from Western Australia's Northern Jarrah Forest subregion

 

Integrative taxonomy of six new species in the Aname spicata-complex (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from Western Australia's Northern Jarrah Forest subregion 

The wishbone spiders of the genus Aname L. Koch, 1873 are highly diverse mygalomorph trapdoor spiders with an extremely widespread distribution across continental mainland Australia. In this study we use an integrative approach, providing morphological and molecular data combined with natural history information, to address a taxonomic knowledge shortfall in the Northern Jarrah Forest subregion of south-western Western Australia. We here report the presence of at least two different clades in the area: the pulchella group and the mainae group. We describe six new species for the region, belonging to the newly defined ‘A. spicata-complex’ of the pulchella group: A. crassitibia sp. nov., A. inexpecta sp. nov., A. minuta sp. nov., A. reliquia sp. nov., A. spicata sp. nov. and A. trapezoidalis sp. nov. We also designate A. fuscocincta Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 as a nomen dubium, the holotype being an unidentifiable juvenile. These findings expand our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Aname in the south-western Australian biodiversity hotspot and serve as a foundation for future, more comprehensive studies in the region. Given the ongoing resource extraction activities in the area, this work will also be important for environmental monitoring and conservation purposes.

Piccinini A, Harvey M, Rix M, Simmons L, Wilson JD. Integrative taxonomy of six new species in the Aname spicata-complex (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from Western Australia's Northern Jarrah Forest subregion. Invertebrate Systematics 2025; IS25051. https://doi.org/10.1071/IS25051