Chestnut Hoggicosa Hoggicosa castanea (Hogg, 1905)

(after Framenau & Langlands 2010): Hoggicosa castanea is most similar to H. brennani and H. forresti. The subterminal apophysis of H. castanea is very small and reduced, whereas it is much longer in H. brennani and H. forresti. The pars pendula in H. castanea is opaque and joins at the embolus tip, whereas in H. brennani and H. forresti it is transparent and joins below the embolus tip. Hoggicosa forresti may be distinguished by the presence of a black stripe on the dorsal abdomen, which is absent in both H. castanea and H. brennani.The venter of H. castanea, which has a black shield, may also be used to distinguish it from H. brennani, in which it is pale with dark patches.

Variation: Hoggicosa castanea displays a large range of body colouration, particularly between specimens from Western and South Australia. Specimens from Western Australia can display a much paler dorsal abdomen colouration compared with that typical of H. castanea. Some specimens from the Pilbara region of Western Australia were found to have a reduced black pattern on the ventral abdomen. In addition, female specimens from southern Western Australia can also display leg markings similar to that of H. forresti. The tegular apophysis of H. castanea also differs slightly in the west of its range with a broader ventral process and longer apical point.

• native

Holotype female, no locality, no date (SAM NN015) (Langlands & Framenau 2010).

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