Zephyrarchaea mainae
| Zephyrarchaea mainae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Zephyrarchaea mainae, Bremer Bay, Western Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Archaeidae |
| Genus: | Zephyrarchaea |
| Species: | Z. mainae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Zephyrarchaea mainae | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Austrarchaea mainae Platnick, 1991 | |
Zephyrarchaea mainae is a species of spider of the family Archaeidae, informally known as Main's assassin spider and the Western archaeid spider.
Unknown until 1983, and the first of the assassin spider family found in Western Australia, the species was discovered at Torndirrup National Park near Albany. Further populations were discovered in nearby areas, and several other related species discovered in the region.[2] Formally described as Austrarchaea mainae by Norman Platnick in 1991, the spider was nominated as the type species for the Australian endemic genus Zephyrarchaea, split from the more widely distributed Austrarchaea in 2012.[1]
Found only along the southern coast of Southwest Australia, a biodiversity hotspot, the species is listed as ‘Threatened’ under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. Zephyrarchaea mainae is restricted to a high rainfall, coastal habitat dominated by Agonis flexuosa (weeping peppermint), in which the understory of sedges, Lepidosperma gladiatum and Lepidosperma effusum, and wiry grasses form a complex crown of litter when it has remained unburnt.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b "Taxon details Zephyrarchaea mainae Rix & Harvey, 2012", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 25 June 2018
- ^ a b Populations of Main’s Assassin Spider (Austrarchaea mainae) near Albany, 2009 (PDF), Western Australian Museum, retrieved 25 June 2018
- ^ "Ecological importance of sedges: a survey of the Australasian Cyperaceae genus Lepidosperma". Annals of Botany. 1 April 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
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