Myrmavola Prószyński, 2016 (Prószyński, 2016)

Prószyński, Jerzy, 2016, Delimitation and description of 19 new genera, a subgenus and a species of Salticidae (Araneae) of the world, Ecologica Montenegrina 7, pp. 4-32 : 13

Myrmavola Prószyński, 2016 comb. n.

Figures 1K , 2H , 3G, K , 5A–D

Type species. Damoetas galianoae Prószyński, 2001 .

Documentation studied. Comparative diagnostic drawings of 8 species in Prószyński 2016a and original literature.

Etymology. Name combines words Myrmarachne and volatilis , assumed grammar gender - feminine.

Diagnosis. Female. Spermathecae "pipes-like", stretching parallel along median axis of epigyne, differ from Myrmarachne by the lack of spermathecal transverse detour, instead the apical end of pipes is twisted into a single loop, much broadened, having internal wall covered by short spines resembling that in Myrmele , posterior parts of pipes are very thin ( Fig. 1K , 2H ). Copulatory ducts, invisible without staining, make membranous coils, running from copulatory openings, near the median septum of epigyne, towards the posterior end of spermathecae, near the posterior rim of epigyne. Posterior pocket small, diverse in particular species.

Male palps with bulbus oval, encircled with the coils of embolus, spermophor running along the posterior part of the margin of bulbus, it has narrow branch running anteriorwards, but disappearing under the coil of embolus without completing small loop in the visible part of bulbus ( Fig. 3G, K ). As some irregularities in appearance of spermophor are visible in several genera of MYRMARACHNINES, in difference to typical Myrmarachne , this structure deserves closer attention in future research. Tibial apophysis (RTA) inclined and gently bent, but not twisted. Male chelicerae medium long, with ventral edge lobate anteriorly, with a group of somewhat longer teeth. Body without constrictions, with thorax gently sloping, abdomen oval, pointed posteriorly ( Figs. 5A–D ). Body in M. christae longer. Color pattern in some species with dark transverse band across abdomen, which is not common in MYRMARACHNINES.

More diagnostic documentation - see at: http://www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/q24-Myrmav.htm l and, especially, Prószyński (2001: 520, figs 5-10).

Note on placement. Edwards & Benjamin (2009: 14) were right proposing to remove Damoetas galianoae and D. christi from the genus Damoetas and pointing at the similarities of the single ventral loop in their spermathecal complex to the the volatilis and electrica groups of Myrmarachne . However, palp appearance, they based upon, is poor character in separating genera in MYRMARACHNINES and body shape is entirely unreliable, because is influenced by mimicking various ants, or other insects. This coincides with rearrangement of the genus Myrmarachne into smaller genera, and particularly new genus Myrmavola Prószyński, 2016 , into which I hereby transfer M. galianoae , as a type species. This move makes replacement of the species name " galianoae " superfluous, because Damoetas galianoae was never used in the primary literature in combination with genus " Myrmarachne ", so it is not a homonym.

Composition. The genus contains two species described originally in the genus Damoetas Peckham & Peckham, 1886 : M. christae ( Prószynski, 2001) , comb. n., and M. galianoae ( Prószynski, 2001) , comb. n. The following species are transferred from genus Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839 : Myrmavola andrewi ( Wanless,1978) , comb. n., M. brevichelicera ( Yamasaki & Ahmad, 2013) , comb. n., M. globosa ( Wanless, 1978) , comb. n., M. volatilis (Peckham & Peckham, 1892) , comb. n., M. yamanei (Yamasaki, 2012) , comb. n.. Species M. yamasakii Prószyński , sp. n. is described as new (see below).

Figures

Figure 1. Body color pattern and the internal structure in the informal group of MYRMARACHNINES: A – Myrmarachne formicaria, female and male; C – D Myrmarachne smaragdina, female and male; E – F Myrmaplata plataleoides, female and male. The internal structure of epigyne in: G – Myrmage gedongensis, H – Myrmatheca alticephalon, I – Toxeus maxillosus, K – Myrmavola yamasaki. The sources of photos: A – B – ©Photo J. Lissner; C –

Figure 2. Diversity of internal structures of epigyne in MYRMARACHNINES: A – Myrmarachne tristis, B – C – M. ramosa compared with its alleged synonym M. melanocephala, D – Myrmanu nubilis, E – Myrmapeni chickeringi, F – Myrmagua guaranitica, G – Myrmaplata plataleoides, H – Myrmavola galianoae, I – Myrmapana panamensis, J – Myrmele peckhami. Sources: A, G, H – J. Prószyński, ©Annales zoologici, 2003, 51, 3: 109, Fig. 452; 1992, 44, 9: 85- 186, Figs 87; 2001, 51 (4): 520-521, Figs 10; B – J. Prószyński,©Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 2003, 12: 301, Fig. 29; C –Edwards & Benjamin, Zootaxa 2009, 2309: 10, Fig. 5C; D, J – F.R. Wanless, Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Zoology series) 33: 111, Fig. 72B; 119, Fig. 80D; 143, Fig. 70; Reproduced with the permission of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London; E, F – M. E. Galiano, Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Entomologia, Buenos Aires, 3: 143, Figs. 65; 136, Fig. 66

Figure 3. The diversity of palps in MYRMARACHNINES: A – Myrmarachne tristis, B – M. ramosa, C – Myrmapana panamensis, D – Myrmage gedongensis, E – Myrmapeni penicillata, F –Toxeus maxillosus, G – Myrmavola galianoae, H – Myrmaplata plataleoides, I - Myrmele peckhami, J – Myrmatheca alticephalon, K – Myrmavola yamasakii – palp, tibia dorsally and male chelicera. Sources: A, G – Prószyński, ©Annales zoologici, 2003, 51, 3: 109, Figs 449-450; 520-521, Figs. 7 – 8; B, D, H – J. Prószyński, ©Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 2003, 12 (7): 301, 22-23; 308, Figs 49-513; 299, Figs 4-5; 117, Figs 49-50; C, E – M. E. Galiano, ©Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Entomologia, Buenos Aires 3: 143, Figs 69-70; 117, Figs. 49- 50; 136, Figs 46-47; I - F.R. Wanless, ©Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) (Zoology series) 33(1): 119, Fig. 80A. Reproduced with the permission of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London..

Figure 5. Diagnostic characters of Myrmavola and Pellenes. A – Myrmavola galianoae – lateral view, B – D – M. yamasakii, carapace laterally, dorsal views of male and female; E – G – Pellenes (Pellap) lapponicus - palps and epigyne and its internal structure, SEM photo of dissected bulbus, dorsal and lateral views (E – embolus, CTE – conductor). Sources: A – J. Prószyński, ©Annales zoologici, 2001, 51 (4): 520-521, Fig. 6; B, – D – M. yamasakii - T. Yamasaki & A. Ahmad, 2013, Zootaxa 3710: 534, Figs. 26A, C; E, F – J. Prószyński, unpublished; G – Logunov, Marusik 1999 [2000]. Arthropoda Selecta 8 (4): 269, scan. phot. 22-23. By courtesy