(Figs 5, 10, 13, 19 a–c, 35–54) http://zoobank.org/?lsid= urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: C97D93B3-A213-4265-831C-7B445BC5E309
Namea brisbanensis Raven, 1984: 12 (in part; cited paratype specimen QMB S774 from Mount Glorious).
Namea sp. ‘Maiala’ Rix et al., 2020: 683, 685, figs 2, 3.
Type material. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: male holotype, Mount Glorious, 5 January 1974, R. Raven (QMB S774). Paratypes: 1 female, D’Aguilar National Park, Mount Glorious, Maiala section, lower rainforest circuit, 27°19’54”S, 152°45’44”E, hand collected from burrow, rainforest, 2 February 2019, M. Rix, J. Wilson (QMB S111377 DNA); 1 juvenile, same data (QMB S111376 DNA); 1 juvenile, same data (QMB S111378 DNA); 1 female, same data except 10 April 2019 (QMB S111506).
Diagnosis. Males of Namea gowardae can be distinguished from those of all other described congeners except N. brisbanensis by the morphology of tibia I, which has the standard brisbanensis -complex prolateral/ventral spination pattern (2pd–2pv–3v), plus a short macroseta v1 and largely asetose proventral ‘tibial bald zone’ between macrosetae pv1 and pv2 (Figs 42, 44; cf. Fig. 18a). Males can be further distinguished from those of N. brisbanensis by the smoothly sub-spherical shape of the palpal bulb (Figs 45–47; cf. Fig. 18b), the more slender profile of tibia I (Fig. 44; cf. Fig. 18a), and the shallower, concave ventro-distal excavation anterior to macroseta v1 (Fig. 44; cf. Fig. 18a).
Females are very similar in general appearance to those of N. brisbanensis (Fig. 5; cf. Fig. 4), but can be distinguished by the shape of the receptacula, which are shorter and are each with a clearly defined, globose fundus (Fig. 19c; cf. Fig. 18c and Raven 1984, fig. 104).
Description (male holotype): Total length 15.7. Carapace 6.3 long, 5.5 wide. Abdomen 5.8 long, 3.7 wide. Carapace (Fig. 35) dark chocolate-brown and sparsely setose; lateral margins with fringe of anteriorly curved, porrect black setae, longest posteriorly; fovea slightly procurved. Eye group (Fig. 38) rectangular, twice as wide as long, PLE–PLE/ALE–ALE ratio 1.0; AME separated by less than their own diameter; PME separated by 4.2 X their own diameter; PME and PLE almost contiguous. Maxillae each with field of ca. 50–60 cuspules largely confined to inner proximal corner (Fig. 39); labium without cuspules. Abdomen (Figs 36, 41) oval [slightly damaged], faded beigebrown, covered with short, fine setae. Legs (Figs 35, 42–44) tan brown, with light scopulae on tarsi I–IV and distal half of metatarsi I–II; tibia I with 2 prodorsal, 2 proventral, 3 ventral and 2 retrolateral macrosetae, and largely asetose proventral ‘tibial bald zone’ between macrosetae pv1 and pv2 (Fig 42); macroseta v1 not reaching beyond ventro-distal margin of tibia I (Fig. 44). Leg I: femur 5.5, patella 3.3, tibia 4.2, metatarsus 4.5, tarsus 2.8, total length 20.3. Leg I femur–tarsus/carapace length ratio 3.2. Pedipalpal tibia (Figs 45–47) 2.5 X longer than wide, with isolated, proximal retroventral macroseta, 1 retrodistal macroseta, and 1 prodistal macroseta. Cymbium (Figs 45–47) setose, with distal scopula. Bulb (Figs 45–47) sub-spherical, with long, whip-like, reflexed embolus arising from ventral base of bulb.
Description (female QMB S111377): Total length 23.7. Carapace 8.6 long, 6.8 wide. Abdomen 10.5 long, 6.7 wide. Carapace (Fig. 48) chocolate-brown with darker brown reticulated patterning (black in life; Fig. 5) and sparsely setose; fovea procurved. Eye group (Fig. 51) rectangular, twice as wide as long, PLE–PLE/ALE–ALE ratio 1.0; AME separated by less than their own diameter; PME separated by 4.6 X their own diameter; PME and PLE separated by slightly less than diameter of PME. Maxillae each with field of ca. 110 cuspules confined to heel and inner proximal corner (Fig. 52); labium without cuspules. Abdomen (Figs 49, 54) oval, dark charcoalgrey with scattered beige-brown mottling dorsally (dark brown-black in life; Fig. 5), and beige-brown ventrally with dark brown mottling and markings, the latter concentrated slightly anterior to spinnerets; covered with short, fine setae. Legs (Fig. 48) dark brown and tan (black with honey-red patellae and tibiae in life; Fig. 5), with scopulae on tarsi I–IV, metatarsus I and distal half of metatarsus II; tibia I with 2 prolateral, 4 proventral (2 situated prodistally) and 3 ventral macrosetae; metatarsus I with 4 ventral macrosetae (partly obscured by scopula). Leg I: femur 5.8, patella 4.1, tibia 4.4, metatarsus 4.1, tarsus 2.6, total length 21.1. Leg I femur–tarsus/carapace length ratio 2.4. Receptacula (Fig. 19c) outwardly curved, ‘horseshoe-shaped’, and each with a laterally directed, globose fundus.
Etymology. The specific epithet is named in honour of Marion Goward, “for devoting her life to re-vegetation and conservation around Brisbane”. This dedication was nominated by Rebecca Williams – the winner of Queensland Museum’s ‘Name a Spider Competition’ for 2020.
Distribution. Namea gowardae is endemic to the D’Aguilar Range, where it is known only from rainforest at Mount Glorious (Fig. 2).
Remarks. This attractive species (Fig. 5) has a seemingly restricted distribution in the higher elevation rainforests around Mount Glorious, where at the Maiala section of D’Aguilar National Park (Fig. 3) the spiders are nonetheless locally common. Their open burrows (Fig. 10) and general appearance are very similar to N. brisbanensis (cf. Figs 4, 5), from which they can only be properly (but easily) distinguished upon close examination of the male or female genitalia, or by using molecular sequencing methods. Little is known of its biology or life history, other than that the holotype male was collected in summer (when males of N. brisbanensis are also active).