Myrmarachne spissa (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1892)

Tripathi, Rishikesh, Jose, Athira, Nafin, Karunnappilli Shamsudheen, Babu, Nishi & Sudhikumar, Ambalaparambil Vasu, 2023, The first description of the female of Myrmarachne uniseriata Narayan, 1915 and the first report of Myrmarachne spissa (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1892) from India, Peckhamia 289 (1), pp. 1-10 : 2-5

Myrmarachne spissa (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1892)

Figures 1–15

Salticus spissus Peckham & Peckham, 1892: 37 , plate II, fig. 8 (♂).

Myrmarachne spissa Simon, 1901: 500 .

Myrmarachne spissa Benjamin, 2015: 2652 , plate 32, fig. 32A-J, 33A-D, 34A-D, 35A-F, 36A-C, 37A-F (♂, ♀).

Type material. Syntypes ( MCZ 23159 ): 4 males from SRI LANKA, leg . Green, GW and EG Peckham collection (Illustrations of this species given in Benjamin (2015: figs. 35–36).

Other material examined. 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ ( CATE9935 ) from INDIA: Kerala: Wayanad: Kattimoola (11°48'15.0"N, 75°55'37.0" E; 752 m alt.), 23 October 2021, A . Jose leg ., from tree leaves, by hand. 1 ♂ and 2 ♀♀ ( KUDZEN 2022.IV.18 a & 18b), same data as above except Alappuzha: Veeyapuram (9°18'00.41"N, 76°27'36.16" E, 3 m alt.), 29 April 2021 . N. Babu leg., from rice agro-ecosystem.; 2 ♀♀, same data as above, 15 March 2020 .

Diagnosis. For a diagnosis of the species, see Benjamin, 2015.

Supplementary description. Male ( Figures 1–3 ). Carapace, chelicera, clypeus, labium, endites and sternum metallic brown; legs golden-yellow; eye-field and opisthosoma black. Carapace covered with golden-white appressed hairs; two shallow circular depression present appear like fine dark brown spots at mid, laterally clothed with cluster of white hairs that appears like a spot; cephalic part remarkably higher than thoracic part. Cheliceral paturon almost twice as long as carapace. Opisthosoma oval; constricted at 1/3rd, with a scutum covering most of dorsum. Leg with black lines on lateral surfaces. Measurements: Body length 3.42. Carapace length 1.77, width 1.10. Opisthosoma length 1.56, width 0.94. Ocular area length 0.82, width 1.02. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.33, ALE 0.16, PME 0.03, PLE 0.16; AME–AME 0.01, AME–ALE 0.02, PME–PME 0.84, ALE–ALE 0.70, PME–PLE 0.23, PLE–PLE 0.88, ALE–PME 0.16, ALE–PLE 0.41. Chelicera length 0.46. Clypeus height nought. Sternum length 0.85, width 0.30. Length of palp and legs: Palp 1.25 [0.46, 0.16, 0.27, 0.36], I 3.94 [1.20, 0.43, 1.29, 0.66, 0.36], II 2.62 [0.86, 0.30, 0.69, 0.51, 0.26], III 2.77 [0.87, 0.29, 0.66, 0.67, 0.28], IV 3.92 [1.29, 0.36, 1.01, 0.91, 0.35]. Leg formula: 4132. Spination of palp: femur pl 2 do 3 rl 2, patella do 1, tibia do 2, tarsus pl 1 do 3 rl 1;legs: femora I–III do 1 rld 1, IV pld 1 do 1 rld 1; patellae I–IV spineless; tibiae I plv 3 rlv 3, II plv 2 rlv 2, III–IV spineless; metatarsus I–II plv 2 rlv 2, III–IV pl d 1 pl 1 plv 2 rld 2 rl 2 rlv 2; tarsi I–IV spineless. Pedipalp ( Figures 7–9 , 13–15 ): Segments pale brown. Cymbium oval, with single apical macroseta. RTA short, thorn shape, sharp apex. Tegulum cylindrical; spermophore curved at anterior part of tegulum. Embolus thin, long, mediodistally originating, with one, prolaterally oriented coil, with broad transverse embolic base, with slightly blunt tip.

Female ( Figures 4–6 ). General aspects essentially as in male except for the following: Body colour lighter; opisthosoma covered with fine setae; anterior 1/3rd cream colour. Shorter chelicera. Measurements: Body length 3.96. Carapace length 1.81, width 0.92. Opisthosoma length 2.05, width 1.17. Ocular area length 0.75, width 0.84. Eye diameters and interdistances: AME 0.30, ALE 0.12, PME 0.02, PLE 0.15; AME–AME 0.01, AME–ALE 0.02, PME–PME 0.76, ALE–ALE 0.60, PME–PLE 0.19, PLE–PLE 0.80, ALE–PME 0.19, ALE–PLE 0.42. Chelicera length 0.52. Clypeus height 0.01. Sternum length 0.84, width 0.26. Length of palp and legs: Palp 1.11 [0.37, 0.16, 0.26, 0.32], I 2.55 [0.80, 0.35, 0.69, 0.43, 0.28], II unknown, III 2.35 [0.73, 0.30, 0.51, 0.53, 0.28], IV 3.45 [1.11, 0.39, 0.86, 0.80, 0.29]. Genitalia ( Figures 10–12 ): Epigynum hirsute; copulatory openings wide, lying apart. Copulatory ducts long, with median bend. Spermathecae large; contiguous, kidney-shaped. Fertilization ducts narrow, diverging.

Variation: Male (n=2): body length 2.50–3.42. Female (n=5): body length 2.90–3.96.

Distribution. India, Sri Lanka ( WSC, 2023; present data). This is the first record of the species from India.

Figures

Figures 1-6. Myrmarachne spissa from Kerala, India (CATE9935). 1-3, Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of adult male. 4-6, Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of adult female .

Figures 7-12. Myrmarachne spissa from Kerala, India. 7-8, Ventral and retrolateral views of right male pedipalp. 9, Detail of retrolateral tibial apophysis, from (8). 10, Ventral view of intact female epigyne. 11-12, Ventral (11) and dorsal (12) views of cleared female epigyne.

Figures 13-15. SEM images of left pedipalp, male Myrmarachne spissa (KUDZEN2022.IV.18a) from Kerala, India. 13-14, Ventral and retrolateral views. 15, Retrolateral view of retrolateral tibial apophysis (arrows in 14-15).