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ISSN: 2653-4649 (Online)
Australian Journal of

Taxonomy
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The type specimens of the Australian open-holed trapdoor spiders attributed to the genus Proshermacha (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae)
Mark S. Harvey, Nadine Dupérré, Kevin O. Sagastume-Espinoza, Michael G. Rix & Jeremy D. Wilson
Author details ⏷
Mark S. Harvey [1,2,5*], Nadine Dupérré [3], Kevin O. Sagastume-Espinoza [4,1], Michael G. Rix [5,1] & Jeremy D. Wilson [1,2,5]
[1] Collections & Research, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, Western Australia 6106, Australia.
[2] School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
[3] Museum of Nature - Hamburg, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany.
[4] Bennelongia Environmental Consultants, Jolimont, Western Australia 6014, Australia.
[5] Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum Collections & Research Centre, 122 Gerler Road, Hendra, Queensland 4011, Australia.
Abstract
The open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha Simon, 1908 was revalidated in 2018 using morphological and molecular data after a century in obscurity. The recent descriptions of several new species of Proshermacha from south-western Australia have been hampered by the lack of modern descriptions of the type species, P. subarmata Simon, 1908, and of the other species described during the twentieth century and subsequently attributed to the genus. Although a complete revision of the genus is beyond the scope of this study due to the large number of undescribed species, we here redescribe the species named during the twentieth century that are currently attributed to Proshermacha based on the original type material. The identity of the type species, P. subarmata, is discussed. We propose the new combinations Proshermacha coenosa (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) comb. nov. (from Aname), and Teyl maculatus (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) comb. nov. (from Ixamatus) and we treat Chenistonia auropilosa Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 as a new junior synonym of Aname maculata Rainbow & Pulleine 1918, syn. nov.
Cite this paper as: Harvey MS, Dupérré N, Sagastume-Espinoza KO, Rix MG & Wilson JD (2026). The type specimens of the Australian open-holed trapdoor spiders attributed to the genus Proshermacha (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae). Australian Journal of Taxonomy 115: 1–23. doi: https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt.tu22l
This paper was published on: 1/4/2026



