Zephyrarchaea
Zephyrarchaea is a genus of Australian assassin spiders first described by Michael Gordon Rix & Mark Harvey in 2012 for nine new species and two that were formerly placed in the genus Austrarchaea. The name is based on the Latin zephyrus, meaning "west wind", referring to the western distribution in Australia and a preference for windy, coastal habitats by some species. It has been encountered in Western Australia, Victoria and South Australia.
They are distinguished from Austrarchaea by a notably shorter carapace, the distribution of long hairs on the male chelicerae, and by the shape of the conductor of the male palpal bulb. The Australian Alps may be a barrier dividing the two genera.
Species
the genus contains eleven species:Zephyrarchaea austini Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Kangaroo Island, South AustraliaZephyrarchaea barrettae Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Western AustraliaZephyrarchaea grayi Rix & Harvey, 2012 – VictoriaZephyrarchaea janineae Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Western AustraliaZephyrarchaea mainae – Western Australia; typeZephyrarchaea marae Rix & Harvey, 2012 – VictoriaZephyrarchaea marki Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Western AustraliaZephyrarchaea melindae Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Western AustraliaZephyrarchaea porchi Rix & Harvey, 2012 – VictoriaZephyrarchaea robinsi – Western AustraliaZephyrarchaea vichickmani Rix & Harvey, 2012 – Victoria