Gondwanabates flavus Smit, 2015, n. sp.

Gondwanabates flavus n. sp.

(Figs 4 A–D)

Type material. Holotype female, Aire River at crossing with Binns Road, Great Otway Ranges NP, Victoria, Australia, 38º 40.103 S 143º 34.805 E, alt. 240 m asl, 1-iv-2008 (NMV).

Diagnosis. I-leg segments stocky, heavy seta of I-leg-5 short, I-leg-5 with a ventral projection; palp stocky; P2 with large teeth, P4 with a large ventral projection.

Description. Male. Idiosoma yellow, ventrally 551 long, dorsally 486 long and 389 wide. Dorsal and ventral shields present. Dorsum with two large plates, anterior plate 243 long, dorsal plate 203 long; posterior dorsal plate with two pairs of glandularia. Capitulum plus anchoral process 235 long. First coxal plates extending beyond anterior idiosoma margin. Suture line of Cx-III and Cx-IV strongly bowed near glandularium. Gonopore 100 long; genital field with three pairs of acetabula. Length of P1-5: 18, 90, 36, 54, 35. Palp stocky; P2 with large teeth, ventral margin of P2 slightly convex; P3 with smaller teeth, P4 with a large ventral projection, P5 with a small ventral extension. Length of I-leg-4–6: 126, 84, 96; height of I-leg-5 32; I-leg-5 with a short heavy seta, located in the middle of segment, and a pointed ventral projection. Length of IV-leg-4–6: 104, 136, 126.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. Named for its yellow colour.

Remarks. The new species is close to Gondwanabates vietsi, but differs in the shape of I-leg. The segments are stockier, especially I-leg-5, the heavy seta of this segment is shorter. I-leg-5 has a pointed ventral projection, which is absent in G. vietsi. The latter species has the posterior dorsal plate with three pairs of glandularia, but very likely this character is variable (see under G. vi e t s i). The new species is yellow, while all G. vietsi are brownish.