Megalopsalis hoggi ( Pocock 1903a )

Taylor, Christopher K., 2011, Revision of the genus Megalopsalis (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangioidea) in Australia and New Zealand and implications for phalangioid classification 2773, Zootaxa 2773 (1), pp. 1-65 : 39-40

Megalopsalis hoggi ( Pocock 1903a)

( Figs 65–73 )

Macropsalis hoggi Pocock 1903a: 398–399 )— Roewer 1911: 103, 1912: 280.

Megalopsalis hoggi (Pocock) — Roewer 1923: 867–868; Forster 1949: 61, 63, figs 5–8 (see comments below).

Material examined. Male lectotype (designated by Forster 1949). Macedon , Australia, H. R. Hogg ( BMNH; not measured) .

Other material examined. 1 male, Coonabaraban , near Timor Peak, New South Wales, Australia, 31°16'S 149°17'E, 9 September 1992, A. F. Longbottom, damp litter ( WAM T 72936; measured) .

Diagnosis. Megalopsalis hoggi differs from all other Megalopsalis species in that the male possesses proximally inflated distitarsi III and IV but no ventral bulges on distitarsus II. The dorsal prosomal plate is also noticeably more densely denticulate than in other species.

Description. MALE (N = 1). Prosoma length 1.39, width 2.38; entire body length 3.92. Anterior and median parts of dorsal prosomal plate white with paired medium brown lines from front of ocularium to anterior margin of dorsal prosomal plate, medium brown patches subprolaterally and large medium brown area behind ocularium with radiating medium brown lines from behind ocularium to near edge of dorsal prosomal plate above ozopore. Ocularium silver, with row of four spines on each side above eye. White areas of dorsal prosomal plate heavily denticulate; pair of spines at distal end of groove running from anterior margin of dorsal prosomal plate halfway to ocularium. Lateral shelves white anteriorly with dark brown patches in front of ozopore, tan posteriorly. Mesopeltidium, metapeltidium and first five tergites of opisthosoma white medially, tan with white spots laterally. Mesopeltidium unarmed except for few spines laterally. Opisthosoma with lines of silver mottling along segmental boundaries. Mouthparts and coxae cream with black medial spot at distal end of coxae; venter of opisthosoma white-grey with white streaks. Coxa I with spines along ventral midline.

Chelicerae. Segment I 4.50, segment II 5.75. Long, slender with segment II slightly inflated distally; segment I tan with medium brown lateral margin and medium brown patches at distal end; segment II tan with longitudinal rows of medium brown patches. Both segments evenly denticulate. Cheliceral fingers short, mobile finger crescentshaped (fig. 67).

Pedipalps (figs 68–69). Femur 1.53, patella 0.89, tibia 0.98, tarsus 1.98. Trochanter armed dorsally with slen- der spines, remainder of pedipalp unarmed; banded white and medium brown. Rounded apophysis on patella about one-third length of patella body (fig. 69); patella and tibia densely setose medially. Microtrichia over distal half of tarsus; claw with ventral tooth-comb.

Legs. Leg I femur 3.42, patella 1.03, tibia 2.90; leg II femur 5.94, patella 1.31, tibia 5.06; leg III femur 2.96, patella 1.02, tibia 2.12; leg IV femur 5.06, patella 1.15, tibia 3.34. Cream with purple patches at distalmost end of each segment except tarsi. Long spines on dorsodistal margins of coxae I-III. Trochanters I-III with multiple spines anteriorly, trochanter IV unarmed. Femora I-III with longitudinal rows of spines dorsally, anteriorly and ventrally (those on femur I particularly long; fig. 70); femur IV with only few denticles in proximal half. Patella I and tibia I with dorsal and ventral rows of spines; remaining segments unarmed. Tibia II with four pseudosegments; tarsus II without ventral bulges. Tibia IV undivided; tarsi III and IV with first few pseudosegments inflated and two longitudinal ventral rows of brush-like setae.

Penis (figs 71–73). Posterior bristle groups elongate; glans distally dorsoventrally flattened.

Spiracle. Not observed.

Comments. The volume in which this species was published is dated ‘1902’, and has often been cited as such. However, Pocock (1903b) noted that his earlier paper ( Pocock 1903a) had been published in April 1903. The title page for Pocock (1903b) gives the publication date as May, so the priority of the two papers is not affected.

As noted by Forster (1949), the original three syntypes for this species include representatives of two species, with the so-called ‘females’ being males of Spinicrus stewarti (not Neopantopsalis camelus as suggested by Forster 1949). Forster’s (1949) implicit removal of those two specimens from the type series and referral to the single Megalopsalis specimen as ‘holotype’ can be accepted as a lectotype designation under the ICZN ( International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999: Article 74.5). However, his female ‘allotype’ has no type status, as it was not part of the original description. At the time Forster (1949) allocated female specimens from Victoria and South Australia to Megalopsalis hoggi , it was the only Megalopsalis species known from Victoria. Female Enantiobuninae of closely related species are often not distinguishable ( Taylor 2004) and these specimens may belong to M. eremiotis .

Figures

FIGURES 65–73. Megalopsalis hoggi (Pocock 1903a), male (all WAM T72936). 65. Body, dorsal view. 66. Body, lateral view. 67. Left cheliceral fingers, dorsal view. 68. Right pedipalp, prolateral view. 69. Patella and tibia of right pedipalp, dorsal view. 70. Left leg I, prolateral view. 71. Penis, ventral view. 72. Glans, ventral view. 73. Glans, lateral view. Scale bars for figs 65–66, 68, 70 = 1 mm; figs 67, 69, 71 = 0.5 mm; figs 72–73 = 0.1 mm.