Australian Huntress Venatrix australiensis Framenau & Vink, 2001
Fauna Portal species: 7770
Venatrix australiensis male, dorsal (AM KS69846; Boonoo State Forest, New South Wales)
Image: Framenau & Vink (2001; fig. 6A)
Fauna Portal Image No. 3464Diagnosis
(after Framenau & Vink 2001): Venatrix australiensis is similar to V. funesta, V. roo and V. penola. Males differ in the tegular apophysis of the pedipalp, which has a long tooth-like ventral spur. Females can be distinguished by the median transverse part of the epigyne, which has a serrated posterior edge. The tubercle on the outer curve of the fangs in males, which is very distinct in most species of Venatrix, is rudimentary in most males of V. australiensis. Seven of 17 males examined in Framenau and Vink (2001) did not show any signs of this tubercle at all. The lateral bands on the venter in females are sometimes very thin and faint. Four of nine examined females did not display these bands at all.
Status
- native
Linnean Holotype
Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
Fauna Portal Records
The map shows all records that have been verified as part of the Fauna Portal project and may not represent the true distribution of a species. Specifically, for described species, check the link to the Atlas of Living Australia on this page for potential wider distributions. Fauna Portal Reference specimens and Linnean types are shown in red. If you identified a specimen that exceeds the distribution of an undescribed species as illustrated here, please contact the Fauna Portal team who can assist with the lodgement of the specimen in a public institution and display on the map.
Publications
(2001): Revision of the wolf spider genus Venatrix Roewer (Araneae:Lycosidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy. 15: 927 - 970