Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 48(2): 123-130 (1987)
ISSN 0814-1827
GRYMEUS, A NEW GENUS OF POUCHED OONOPID SPIDER
FROM AUSTRALIA (CHELICERATA: ARANEAE)
By Mark S. Harvey
Division of Entomology, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601
Present address: Department of Environmental Records, Museum of Victoria,
71 Victoria Crescent, Abbotsford, Victoria 3067
Abstract
Harvey, M.S., 1987. Grymeus, a new genus of pouched oonopid spider from Australia (Chelicerata:
Araneae). Mem. Mus. Vict. 48: 123-130.
A new genus, Grymeus, is described for three new species, G. robertsi (type species) and G.
yanga, from western Victoria and south-western New South Wales, and G. barbatus from cen-
tral South Australia. It is unusual due to the presence of extensive, setaceous book-lung covers
and a male pouch formed by the modification of the maxillae, labium and sternum. The genus
is compared with other pouched oonopids from South America.
Introduction
Only four species of oonopid spiders have been
previously described in which males are known
to possess modified maxillae, labia and sterna
forming a cavity to protect the distal portions of
the palp: Gamasomorpha wasmanniae Mello-
Leitao, G. patquiana Biraben, Marsupopaea
sturmi Cooke and M. cupida (Keyserling). All are
from South America. Recent field work in the
semi-arid regions of Australia has uncovered
three further species with similar modifications
which are described below.
Specimens are lodged in the Museum of Vic-
toria, Melbourne (NMV), the Australian Na-
tional Insect Collection, Canberra (ANIC) and
the South Australian Museum, Adelaide (SAM).
Most terminology follows Forster (1967) and the
terminology of the female genitalia follows For-
ster and Platnick (1985). All measurements are
taken to the nearest 0.005 mm. Two specimens
of Grymeus robertsi were air-dried and gold-
coated for examination in a JEOL JSM-35C
Scanning Electron Microscope. The respiratory
system and female genitalia were examined by
separating the abdomen from the cephalothorax
and removing the dorsal abdominal plate. The
ventral portion of the abdomen was then cleared
by heating in 10% potassium hydroxide.
Oonopidae
Grymeus gen. no'v.
Type species. Grymeus robertsi sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Grymeus differs from all other known
oonopid genera by the possession of setaceous
book-lung covers (Fig. 9), stout, blunt, carinate
setae (Fig. 10), and the distal patch of curved
setae on the male palpal cymbium (Figs. 5, 15,
20). Males further differ by the combined
presence of a pouch (Fig. 7) and the absence of
porrect cheliceral setae (Figs. 2, 7, 12, 18).
Description. Colour dark red-brown. Carapace,
abdomen, palps and legs with stout, blunt,
carinate setae (Fig. 10); sternum with thinner
setae. Carapace (Figs. 1-2, 11-12, 17-18) pear-
shaped in dorsal view; clypeus with several stout,
forwardly projecting setae. Six eyes; from above,
posterior eye row slightly recurved; PME largest.
Chelicera without teeth; with lamella; fang
without proximal lobe. Maxillae convergent,
nearly touching in midline (Fig. 7); labium
rounded anteriorly (Fig. 7); maxillae and labium
of male depressed, which together with anterior
invagination of sternum form a pouch receiving
terminal elements of palp (Fig. 7); sternum
posteriorly rounded (Figs. 3-4, 13-14, 19); cara-
pace and sternum joined by chitinous inter-coxal
strips. Male palp (Figs. 5,15, 20-21) with embo-
lus and conductor gently curved, lying nearly at
right angles to cymbium and in pouch (Fig. 7);
cymbium with distal patch of curved setae; con-
ductor lying beneath embolus; embolus apically
divided into 2 separate flanges; tibia with 2 ser-
rate trichobothria. Female palp without claw;
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