Myrmecotypus balerion, Silva-Junior & Bonaldo, 2024

Silva-Junior, Cláudio J. & Bonaldo, Alexandre B., 2024, A revision of the South American species of the ant-mimicking spider genus Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), Zootaxa 5555 (4), pp. 451-496 : 483-485

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5555.4.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:24FACE7D-F2B3-47CB-BF71-FF85CBECE77C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14596158
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B787E5-CF25-FFCC-0ED7-B07B1F61F870
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Myrmecotypus balerion
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Myrmecotypus balerion spec. nov.

Figs 20A–J View FIGURE 20 , 21A–I View FIGURE 21

Type material. BRAZIL: ♂ holotype, Pará, Juruti , 02°24’20.7”S, 56°26’00.3”W, 18.IX.2002, D. Guimarães leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)-003429) GoogleMaps .

Paratypes: BRAZIL: Pará, Juruti , 02°24’20.7”S, 56°26’00.3”W, 1♀, 18.IX.2002, D. Guimarães leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)-003429) GoogleMaps ; Pará, Juruti , 02°24’03’’S, 56°25’45.0’’W, 1♀, 19.XI.2002, A.B. Bonaldo leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)003426) GoogleMaps .

Etymology. The specific name refers to Balerion, The Terrible, a fictional creature in R.R. Martin’s book series “A Song of Ice and Fire”.

Diagnosis. Myrmecotypus balerion spec. nov. differs from all other Myrmecotypus by the presence of a small dorsal depression on the thoracic region at the level of the leg III insertion ( Figs 20B View FIGURE 20 ), tibia I ventral spination 4- 3, male palp with a long, flat and unsclerotized RTP ( Fig. 20G, H View FIGURE 20 ); females can be recognized by the continuous epigynal transverse ridge bearing a median T-shaped sclerotization ( Fig. 20I View FIGURE 20 ).

Description. Male (MPEG(ARA)-003429). Total length 4.97. Carapace 2.73 long, 1.21 wide. Sternum 1.24 long, 0.51 wide. Abdomen 1.98 long, 1.31 wide. Eye diameters: AME 0.12, ALE 0.07, PME 0.06, PLE 0.07. Eye inter-distances: AME-AME 0.10, AME-ALE 0.03, ALE-PLE 0.20, PME-PME 0.19, PME-PLE 0.13, AME-PME 0.08. Carapace long and narrow, brown with dark-brown spots, somewhat narrowed in head region, with weak constriction between the cephalic and thoracic regions, anterior margin truncated with the slightly rounded tips, lateral margins with two very slight depressions, thoracic region higher than cephalic region, with very slight depression on its surface ( Fig. 20B View FIGURE 20 ). Feathery hairs present in ocular area and on sides of carapace ( Fig. 21A View FIGURE 21 ). Endites light brown, with promargin yellowish-brown, labium brown. Chelicerae yellowish-brown, with dark-brown spots, three promarginal teeth of different sizes and two retromarginal teeth, largest, equal and equidistant. Sternum elongate, narrower between legs III and IV, with feathery hairs ( Fig. 20C View FIGURE 20 ). Abdomen with dorsal scute reddish-brown, longer than wide and with feathery hairs. Lightly present pedicel collar ( Fig. 21G View FIGURE 21 ). Ventral scute brown, quadrangular-shaped, not extending to spinnerets. Tracheal scute present, brownish-black. Only coxa II translucent white. Coxae III and IV yellowish-brown, coxae I yellowish-brown but clear at the center. Femur I brown dorsally and ventrally, white on promargin and retromargin. Patella and tibia yellow dorsally and ventrally, light brown on promargin and retromargin. Metatarsus brown and tarsus yellow. Legs III and IV brown, with patella yellow ventrally. Leg measurements: I—femur 1.34 / tibia 1.15 / metatarsus 0.95; II—femur 1.19; III—femur 1.20; IV—femur 1.83 / tibia 1.64. I-femur do 0-0-0-1, pl 0-0-0-1,; tibia ve 1p-2-2-2 (4-3); metatarsus ve 2-2/ II-femur do 1-0-0-1, pl 0-1-0-0, rl 0-1-0-0; tibia ve 2-2; metatarsus ve 2-2/ III-femur do 0-0-1-1; pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1; tibia do 0-0-1, pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1, ve 2-2; metatarsus pl 1-1-0-1, rl 1-1-0-1, ve 2-2-2-1/ IV-femur do 1-0-1-1, pl 0-0-0-1, rl 0-0-0-1; tibia do 0-0-1, pl 1-0-1, rl 1-0-1, ve p 1-0-1; metatarsus pl 1-1-0-1, rl 1-1-0-1, ve 2-2. Palp with RTA spiniform; globose genital bulb drawn into neck followed by long, flat retroapical tegular projection; embolus very short ( Fig. 20G, H View FIGURE 20 ).

Female (paratype MPEG(ARA)003426). Total length 5.47. Carapace 2.89 long, 1.27 wide. Sternum 1.27 long, 0.18 wide. Abdomen 1.99 long, 1.35 wide. Eye diameters: AME 0.10, ALE 0.04, PME 0.07, PLE 0.06. Eye inter-distances: AME-AME 0.12, AME-ALE 0.04, ALE-PLE 0.23, PME-PME 0.25, PME-PLE 0.22, AME-PME 0.12. Carapace long and narrow, brown, with dark brown spots, somewhat narrowed in cephalic region, with moderate constriction between cephalic and thoracic regions, thoracic region with very slight depression on its surface, anterior margin truncated, lateral margins with two very slight depressions. Feathery hairs cover entire carapace but heavily distributed in ocular area and on sides ( Fig. 20D View FIGURE 20 ). Endites brown, with promargin yellow, labium brown. Chelicerae brown, dark-brown spots, three promarginal teeth of different sizes and two retromarginal teeth largest equal and equidistant. Sternum elongate, narrower between legs III and IV, with feathery hairs. Abdomen oval, with dorsal scute brown, moderately small. Pedicel collar weakly developed ( Fig. 20D View FIGURE 20 ). Feathery hairs covered as in male. Ventral scute absent. Tracheal scute reddish-brown. Leg coloring as in male ( Fig. 20F View FIGURE 20 ). Leg measurements: I—femur 1.24 / tibia 1.20 / metatarsus 0.92; II—femur 1.15 / tibia 1.25 / metatarsus 0.81; III—femur 1.12 / tibia 0.89 / metatarsus 0.88; IV—femur 1.87 / tibia 1.28 / metatarsus 1.44. Spination: I-femur do 0-0-0-1, pl 0-0-0-1,; tibia ve 1p-2-2-2 (4-3); metatarsus ve 2-2/ II-femur do 1-0-0-1, pl 0-1-0-0, rl 0-1-0-0; tibia ve 2-2; metatarsus ve 2-2/ III-femur do 0-0-1-1; pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1; tibia do 0-0-1, pl 0-1-1, rl 0-1-1, ve 2-2; metatarsus pl 1-1-0-1, rl 1-1- 0-1, ve 2-2-2-1/ IV-femur do 1-0-1-1, pl 0-0-0-1, rl 0-0-0-1; tibia do 0-0-1, pl 1-0-1, rl 1-0-1, ve p 1-0-1; metatarsus pl 1-1-0-1, rl 1-1-0-1, ve 2-2. Epigyne with continuous transverse ridge bearing median T-shaped sclerotization. Vulva with globose spermathecae flowed by moderately short neck. Copulatory duct thin, inserted laterally in spermathecae ( Fig. 20I, J View FIGURE 20 , 21I View FIGURE 21 ).

Variation. Length (2♂) total 5.26–5.36, carapace 2.90–2.98, femur I 1.14–1.18; (3♀) total 5.50–5.85, carapace 2.47–3.04, femur I 1.04–1.28.

Other material. BRAZIL: Amazonas: Manaus, Ilha de Curari [03°19’53.2’’S, 60°05’07.3’’W], 1♂, 3.VIII.1979, J. Adis et al. ( IBSP, IB-17311 ) GoogleMaps ; Pará: Juruti 02°24’33.2’’S, 56°26’10.6’’W, 1♂ 4♀, 17.IX.2002, A.B. Bonaldo leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)-003422); Same data but 1♀, 17.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003423); Same data but 1♀, 17.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003430); Same data but 1♂ 1♀, 18.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003428); Same data but 1♂, 19.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003287); Same data but 1♂, 19.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003290); Same data but 1♂, 19.IX.2002 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003290) GoogleMaps .

Distribution. States of Amazonas and Pará, Brazil ( Fig. 26 View FIGURE 26 ).