Males easily distinguished from Opopaea by the separate cymbium and bulb, which is fused in a few species; females and males lack a pair of small dorsolateral, triangular extensions on the pedicel as well as the paired curved scutal ridges on the scutopedicel region.
Goblin Spiders
Oonopidae
(after Framenau. et al. 2014): The name Goblin Spiders for the family Oonopidae refers to the somewhat peculiar appearance of these small spiders. They are often hard-bodied with strong sclerotised abdominal plates (scutes) and orange-brown in colour. At a global scale, Goblin spiders are known for some unusual morphological features, such as bizarre spines on the head, horny extensions on the chelicerae, strange-looking mouthparts, sternal pouches, and hand-like extensions on the posterior coxae to name just a few.
Goblin Spiders are very similar to the Six-eyed Ground Spiders (Orsolobidae) and some Australian genera were initially placed in the oonopids until the family Orsolobidae was established. Differences between both families are subtle and include a peculiar, raised morphology of a tarsal chemosensory organ in orsolobids.
Publications
Framenau VW, Baehr BC, Zborowski P (2014): A guide to the spiders of Australia. New Holland Publishers, 1 - 448
Harry Butler Institute
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N27933-1
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1 juv.
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29 September 2021
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Western Australia
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Mindy South, Pilbara
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bore scrape
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COI
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AGCGTGAGCTGCTATAGTGGGTACGGCTTTGAGAGTGTTGATTCGGGTTGAGTTAGGACAGGTTGGGAGATTGTTGGGGGATGATCATTTATATAATGTAATTGTGACGGCTCATGCTTTGGTTATGATTTTTTTTGTAGTAATACCTATTATGATCGGGGGGTTTGGGAATTGGCTTATTCCTTTAATATTGGGGGTTCCTGATATGGCGTTTCCTCGAATAAATAATTTAAGATTTTGGTTGCTTCCCCCTTCATTAATGATATTAATTTTTTCTTCTATGAGAGAGACTGGAGTGGGTGCGGGGTGGACAGTTTATCCACCTTTATCTTCAAAGGTAGGACATGGAGGGGTTAGTATGGATATGGCTATTTTTTCTCTTCATTTGGCGGGGGCGTCTTCTATTATGGGTGCGGTAAATTTTATTTCTACTGTAGTGAATATGCGTATTAAAGGAGTGGGGATGGAAAGGGTTTCTTTGTTTGTTTGATCTGTGTTGATTACGGCTGTATTGTTATTGTTGTCTTTGCCAGTATTAGCTGGGGCTATTACAATGTTATTGACAGATCGGAATTTTAATACTTCGTTTTTTGATCCGGCGGGGGGTGGGGATCCAATTTTATTTCAACATTTGTTTTGATTTTTTGGTCAC