Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969

Silva-Junior, Cláudio J. & Bonaldo, Alexandre B., 2024, A revision of the South American species of the ant-mimicking spider genus Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), Zootaxa 5555 (4), pp. 451-496 : 456

Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969

Figs 1A , 2A–L , 3A–D

Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969: 275 , figs 258–261, 289 (holotype, ♂, PANAMÁ: Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island; in Museum of Comparative Zoology, not examined); Carvalho & Gasnier, 2019: CB19, figs 57–60 (♂ ♀).

Diagnosis. Males of M. olympus can be distinguished from those of other species of Myrmecotypus by the presence of paracymbial spines on the retrolateral margin ( Fig. 3A ). Females resemble those of M. orpheus by the copulatory openings directed anteriorly but differ by the medial epigynal depression strongly recurved ( Fig. 3C ), whereas they are nearly straight in M. orpheus ( Reiskind 1969: figs 253–254).

Description. See Reiskind 1969: 275–277.

Variation. Some males and females exhibit a darker coloration, with the carapace, abdomen, chelicerae and sternum dark brownish ( Fig. 2 ). The coxae III and IV are brownish, and the other segments of the legs are darker; coxae I and II are white, femora I and II with black lines. Along with Myrmecotypus jasmineae Leister & Miller, 2014 , this is the second recorded case of polymorphism in Myrmecotypus .

New records. GUYANA: Georgetown: Iwokrama, Forest Research Station [06°49’20.5’’S, 58°09’04.2’’W], 1♀, 14 ̶ 19.I.1996, W. Tschinkel leg. (CASENT-9036810) . BOLIVIA: Beni: Estação Ecológica de Beni [14°33’24.0’’S, 66°05’14.8’’W], 1♂, 10.IX.1987, J. Coddington leg. ( MPEG) . BRAZIL: Roraima: Alto Alegra, Estação Ecológica de Maracá [03°20’01.2’’S, 61°46’37.7’’W], 1♀, 24. III.1987, A.A. Lise leg. (MCN-17597) ; Amazonas: São Gabriel da Cachoeira: Pico da Neblina [00°48’04.3’’N, 66°00’19.6’’W], 1♂, 26.IX.2007, A. Nogueira leg. ( MPEG) ; Cachoeira do Tucano [00°41’57.9’’N, 67°27’29.1’’W], 1♂, 24.IX.2007, A. Nogueira leg. ( MPEG) ; Porto Urucu [04°53’03.7’’S, 65°20’56.8’’W], 1♂ ( MPEG) ; Manaus, Arquipélago das Anavilhas [02°42’00.5’’S, 60°44’54.9’’W], 1♂, VIII.1999, A.J. Santos leg. ( IBSP, IB-36215 ) ; Pará: Serra do Cachimbo, Campo de Provas Brigadeiro Velloso , 09°22’24’’S, 55°01’10’’W, 1♀, 9.IX.2003, A.B. Bonaldo leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)-003166) ; Same data but 1♂, 12.IX.2003 ( MPEG ( ARA)-003203) ; Same data but 1♂, 18.IX.2003, ( MPEG ( ARA)-003205) ; Same data but 1♂, 12.IX.2003, D. Guimarães leg. ( MPEG ( ARA)-003169) ; Bahia: Uruçaca, Fazenda Almada [14°39’34.7’’S, 39°11’21.9’’W], 1♂, 27.XI.1987, J. Coddington leg. (MCN-20249) .

Distribution. Panamá and northern South America ( Fig. 25 ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Myrmecotypus spp, living species: A Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969; B Myrmecotypus niger Chickering, 1937; Photo: César Favacho; C Myrmecotypus rubrofemoratus Perger & Rubio, 2021. Photo: Artur Anker/Pedro Martins.

FIGURE 2. Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969.: A–F Darker form male (MCN-19277); female (MCN-17597); G–L Orange forms male (MPEG(ARA)-003205), female (MPEG(ARA)-003166) A male, dorsal view; B same, lateral view; C same, ventral view; D female, dorsal view; E, same, lateral view; F same, ventral; G male, dorsal view; H same, lateral view; I same, ventral view; J female, dorsal view; K, same, lateral view; L same, ventral. Scale: 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Myrmecotypus olympus Reiskind, 1969 A male palp, ventral view (MPEG(ARA)-003205); B same, retrolateral view; C female epigyne, ventral view (MPEG(ARA)-003166); D same, dorsal view. White arrow indicating medial loop, black arrow indicating lateral loop. Abbreviations: E, embolus; Ps, paracymbial spines; RTA, retrolateral tibial apophysis; CO, copulatory opening; CD, copulatory duct; ST II, secondary spermathecae, ST I, primary spermathecae, FD, fertilization duct. Scale: 1 mm.

FIGURE 25. Distribution records of species of Myrmecotypus.