Megalopsalis tumida Forster 1944: 188–189
Revision of the genus Megalopsalis (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangioidea) in Australia and New Zealand and implications for phalangioid classification 2773
Taylor, Christopher K.
Zootaxa
2011
2011-02-23
2773
1
1
65
7W7SR
(Forster 1944)
Taylor
2011
Forster
1944
[151,581,151,176]
Arachnida
Neopilionidae
Forsteropsalis
Animalia
Opiliones
59
60
Arthropoda
species
tumida
comb. nov.
( Figs 124–127)
Megalopsalis tumida Forster 1944: 188–189, figs 4–6.
Material examined. Male holotype. WN. Khandallah, near Wellington, New Zealand, 1924, R.E. R. Grimmett ( MONZ 2/14).
Description.MALE (N = 1). Prosoma length 3.8, width 5.2. Prosoma entirely unarmed; mottled dark brown and yellow-brown, with yellow U-shaped stripe around ocularium; metapeltidium not sclerotised. Ocularium yellow-brown with dark margins around eyes. Dorsum and venter of opisthosoma yellow-brown. Coxae yellowbrown, with black setae. FIGURES 124–127. Forsteropsalis tumida( Forster 1944), male holotype. 124. Body, dorsal view. 125. Left chelicera, retrolateral view. 126. Left cheliceral fingers, dorsal view. 127. Left pedipalp, retrolateral view. Scale bar for fig. 124 = 1 mm; figs 125–127 = 2 mm. Chelicerae(figs 125–126). Segment I 9.0, segment II 13.0. Orange; segment II enormously swollen, with long, thin fingers. Pedipalps(fig. 127). Femur 6.6, patella 3.0, tibia 3.6, tarsus 7.0. Orange; extraordinarily long; femur lightly denticulate; small, pointed patellar apophysis; small hypersetose areas on margin of apophysis and distal end of tibia; no tooth-row on claw. Legs. Leg I femur 10.0, patella 2.0, tibia 9.0; leg II femur 13.5, patella 2.5, tibia 14.0; leg III not preserved; leg IV femur 9.0, patella 2.0, tibia 10.0. Orange; femora dorsally denticulate. Tibia II with nine pseudosegments; tibia IV with two pseudosegments.
Comments.This species is of doubtful validity. It is very similar to Forsteropsalis fabulosa, essentially being distinguished only by the more globular chelicerae which may represent individual variation. Forster (1944)failed to recognise a connection between his new species and F. fabulosabecause he had confused the latter with the male of Forsteropsalis inconstans(see comments for F. fabulosaabove). Forsteropsalis tumidahas previously been recorded from the Waitomo cave system ( Meyer-Rochow & Liddle 1988). The location of specimens used in that study (if they were preserved) is unknown (V. B. Meyer-Rochow, personal communication 2002), but a specimen photographed by Meyer-Rochow & Liddle (1988)is clearly distinct from F. tumidaand represents an unknown species.
[467,1263,334,359]
R
New Zealand
Khandallah
59
60
1
Wellington
holotype
MONZ
New Zealand
59
60
MONZ 2
1
Wellington
holotype