''Bertmainius tingle'', also called the tingle trapdoor spider, is a small basal spider endemic to the tingle and

karri ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is Endemism, endemic to the Southwest Australia, south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cre ...

forest of

southwestern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. This migid family species of ''

Bertmainius ''Bertmainius'' is a genus of spiders in the family Migidae. It was first described in 2015 by Mark Harvey, Barbara York Main, Michael Rix and Steven Cooper. , it contains 7 species, all from Western Australia Western Australia (commonly ab ...

'' was first recorded in the 1990s.

Description

''Bertmainius tingle'' is less than 10 millimetres long, the female carapace length is 2.6 - 3.1 mm. The carapace and legs are black and shiny. Western Australian species of the family Migidae remained undiscovered until 1990 and were first described and named in the genus ''Moggridgea'' by Dr Barbara Main in 1991. ''B. tingle'' was discovered by accident in a laboratory analysis of another arachnid and the bark in which it was living, the spider was noticed when it emerged as the sample was discarded. The specific epithet is derived from the common name "tingle", the tree from which the bark was taken. It was moved to the new genus ''Bertmainius'' by

Mark Harvey Mark Harvey (born 11 June 1965) is a former Australian rules football player and coach. He played over 200 games during fourteen seasons with the Essendon Football Club, winning three premierships, and was senior coach of Fremantle from 2007 t ...

and colleagues in 2015, based on significant differences in morphology and molecular data.

Distribution

The species is found at two sites in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park residing in the soil or the bark of the red tingle ('' Eucalyptus jacksonii''). The spider's habitat is located within the tingle and karri ('' Eucalyptus diversicolor'') forests of the Warren bioregion, a biodiversity hotspot containing other species of

gondwana Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...

n heritage. Other species of ''Bertmainius'' have since been described from south-western Australia.

Ecology

''Bertmainius tingle'' live within the topsoil or in the fibrous bark of the red tingle, constructing nests of silk tubes. These tubes, up 20 mm long, have an opening at the surface of the bark or soil with a hinged 'trapdoor' cover made of moss, bark and the spider's silk. It is found in damp and shady locations. ''Bertmainius tingle'' is vulnerable to fire and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

associated with roads. Planning exists to reduce damage to the species habitat during fire management operations such as 'prescribed burns'. It has a status of endangered due to destruction of habitat.

References

* * * * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q27502905 Migidae Arthropods of Western Australia Spiders of Australia Spiders described in 1991 Endemic fauna of Southwest Australia Warren bioregion