Myrmaplata 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 : 9-10

Gen. Myrmaplata Prószyński, 2016 gen. n.

Figures 1E–F , 2G , 3H

Type species. Salticus plataleoides Pickard-Cambridge O. 1869 .

Documentation studied. Comparative diagnostic drawings of 5 species in Prószyński (2016a) and original literature.

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

Diagnosis. Female. Spermathecal "pipes" long and thin, differing from Myrmarachne by absence of transversal detour, terminated at the anterior end by discrete, round or oval small chamber, with internal spines ( Fig. 2G ). The proximal (topographically posterior) end of pipe is somewhat swollen, like in Bocus . Copulatory ducts, visible after staining, make large membranous coils, connecting slit-like, almost indiscernible, copulatory openings pressed to median septum of epigyne, with proximal ends of spermathecae, near posterior rim of epigyne. Males differ from majority of MYRMARACHNINES by broad basis of embolus, gradually narrowing. In M. plataleoides loop of embolus is shorter, overlaying only anterior half of a bulbus, but in M. turriformis and M. wanlessi encircling entire bulbus, spermophor is not visible on enclosed drawings ( Fig. 3H ). Tibial apophysis is short, straight and conical. Body of males is very long, with strongly pronounced body constriction, cephalic part twice higher than thorax, block like. Chelicerae are very long, swollen apically, pedicel is long ( Figs. 1E–F ). Female's abdomen oval, without constriction, pointed posteriorly. Philipinese Myrmarachne assimilis Banks, 1930 and Myrmarachne markaha Barrion, Litsinger, 1995 have similarly elongate chelicerae, but their palps and epigyne indicate that belongs to true Myrmarachne .

More diagnostic documentation - see at: http://www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/q24- Myrmaplata .html and, especially, Edmunds & Prószyński (2003: 298, Figs. 1-7 ).

Remark. Myrmaplata plataleoides , recognizable at the first glance and common in South and South East Asia, is associated with large, yellow Oecophylla ants, broadly distributed in tropical Asia, Africa and Australia and popularly known because builds large aerial nest from living leaves of trees. However, in Australia, local Oecophylla smarragdina is associated with Myrmarachne smaragdina Ceccarelli, 2010 , externally very similar to Myrmaplata plataleoides (documented by photos by R. Whyte, see also Ceccarelli (2010: 250) but having spermathecae of true Myrmarachne . Similarity of their habitus is apparently due to mimicking the same model ant.

Distribution. India, Sri Lanka, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, China.

Composition. The genus accommodate species classified heretofore as the Myrmarachne plataleoides group of species: Myrmaplata hispidacoxa ( Edmunds, Prószyński, 2003) comb. n., M. plataleoides (Pickard-Cambridge O., 1869) comb. n., M. turriformis (Badcock, 1918) comb. n., M. wanlessi ( Edmunds, Prószynski, 2003) comb. n.

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..