Myrmarachne milledgei, 2017
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12439 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C06D1236-FA32-4818-FF18-629D78CBF97A |
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treatment provided by |
Plazi |
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scientific name |
Myrmarachne milledgei |
| status |
sp. nov. |
MYRMARACHNE MILLEDGEI PEKAR View in CoL SP. NOV.
Type material
Australia. QLD: 1♂ holotype, forma rufithorax (AMS) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey Bay GoogleMaps , Scarness, city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E) ; 1♂ paratype, forma obtusa (AMS) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey
Bay, Scarness, city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E).
Material examined
Australia.
Forma rufithorax : QLD: 3 subadult ♀ ( MUB) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey Bay GoogleMaps , Scarness, city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E) .
Forma obtusa : QLD: 1 subadult ♀ ( MUB) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey Bay GoogleMaps , Scarness, city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E) .
Etymology
The species name is a patronym in honour of Graham Milledge for his kind help with the material deposited in AMS. The forma names are derived from the ant species they seem to imitate (see Natural history).
Diagnosis
Most closely related to M. macleayana . Males can be distinguished by the rectangular flange of RTA, hooked RTA, and long sinusoid embolus.
Description
Male: Measurements (N = 2): total body length 8.6 mm, carapace length 3.1 mm, carapace width 1.6 mm, chelicera length 2.3 mm, abdomen length 3.4 mm, PTB = 0.46. Colour (forma rufithorax ): chelicerae brown, dorsally reticulated, metallic; carapace orange to brown, but cephalic part dorsally black, a small orange patch in front of fovea; endites, labium, and palpal segments brown; Cx I and IV, pale; sternum, Fe I – Ta I, black, all other leg segments yellow – orange to brown; abdomen dorsally with proximal one-quarter orange, followed by transverse band of white hairs, rest black with a small orange patch in the middle ( Fig. 11A View Figure 11 ), ventrally black behind epigastric furrow. Morphology: chelicerae protruding, with four strong and one small teeth, fangs straight with curved tip ( Fig. 11G, H View Figure 11 ); prosoma elongate ( Fig. 11A View Figure 11 ), carapace with a constriction behind PLE ( Fig. 11E View Figure 11 ), cephalic part of carapace flat, higher than thoracic part ( Fig. 11E View Figure 11 ); Cx I – IV with a ventral process towards sternum; leg spines: Mt I and II, Ti I and II, with two ventral spines; abdomen elongate with a slight constriction ( Fig. 11E View Figure 11 ); palpal cymbium almost oval, tegulum large and round, embolus coiled almost twice, strongly sinusoid at tip ( Fig. 11I View Figure 11 ); RTA tiny and curved apically, with a large rectangular flange ( Fig. 11J View Figure 11 ).
Female: Known only at subadult stage. Measurements (N = 3): total body length 7.0 mm (6.0 – 7.8 mm), carapace length 2.8 mm (2.6 – 2.8 mm), carapace width 1.4 mm (1.3 – 1.5 mm), chelicerae length 0.9 mm (0.6 – 1.1 mm), abdomen length 3.3 mm (2.8 – 3.7 mm). Colour (forma rufithorax ): as in males. Morphology: as in males ( Fig. 11C, F View Figure 11 ), but palpal Pt – Ta flattened; chelicerae with seven teeth each on prolateral and retrolateral margins.
Variation
Both sexes of forma obtusa have chelicerae dark brown, carapace dark brown with a small orange patch in front of fovea, abdomen in proximal one-quarter brown, followed by transverse band of white hairs, brown band, and a golden patch posteriorly ( Fig. 11B, D View Figure 11 ). Fe I – Ta I, endites, labium, and palpal segments brown; Cx I and IV, pale; sternum and all other leg segments, yellow – orange to brown. Abdomen ventrally black behind epigastric furrow.
Distribution
Known only from the type locality in QLD ( Fig. 4E View Figure 4 ).
Natural history
The spider hides under the bark of gum trees. Forma rufithorax seems to imitate the ant Opisthopsis rufithorax Emery, 1895 , whereas forma obtusa seems to imitate Polyrhachis obtusa Emery, 1897 .
| MUB |
Universidad de Murcia |
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