Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839

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 : 6

Gen. Myrmarachne MacLeay, 1839

Figures 1A–D , 2A–C , 3A–B

Type species. Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839 .

Documentation studied. Comparative diagnostic drawings of 103 species in Prószyński (2016a) at http://www.peckhamia.com/salticidae/q24- Myrmarachne .html, and original literature.

Remarks. Representative, most speciose genus of the informal group of genera MYRMARACHNINES restricted now to Myrmarachne tristis and formicaria groups of species of Wanless (1978), containing 103 identifiable species, there are also 106 unrecognizable nominal species and 128 synonyms. Females of all these species can be identified by having loop-like detour in the anterior third of “ pipes-like ” spermathecae ( Figs. 2A–C ). Males are recognizable by corkscrew-like, short tibial apophysis with flange, and by additional thin loop of spermophor in male palps ( Figs. 3A– B ). Other characters, popularly used, are unreliable and do not permit to separate these spiders from other genera: body shape is variable, with various constrictions of carapace and abdomen as well as color pattern ( Figs. 1A–D ), chelicerae of males are enormously enlarged, but vary, sometimes as long as carapace, but may be longer, or shorter. The copies of almost all diagnostic drawings of Myrmarachne available in the world literature, as well as the list of all nominal species and synonymic names are given in Prószyński (2016a, b).

Distribution. Myrmarachne (sensu stricto) occurs in warm and temperate areas of the Old World, Australia and Pacific Islands, with distributional centers in tropical Africa and Asia. One species migrated recently to North America.

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..