Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839

Benjamin, Suresh P., 2015, Model mimics: antlike jumping spiders of the genus Myrmarachne from Sri Lanka, Journal of Natural History 49 (43), pp. 2609-2666 : 2625-2628

Myrmarachne melanocephala MacLeay, 1839

( Figures 17A–D , 18A–D , 19A–D )

Myrmarachne orientales Tikader, 1973: 60–62 , figures 3–6. New synonymy.

Synonymy

M. orientales is well illustrated and is here compared with the neotype of M. melanocephala . I can find no characters that would suggest that the specimens

from India illustrated by Tikader (1973) constitute a species different from M. melanocephala .

Diagnosis

Separated from other Sri Lankan Myrmarachne species by the dorsally flattened chelicerae, elongated prosoma with a constriction at the 50% point, anterior half rectangular and black in colour, posterior half oval and red/brown in colour. Opisthosoma elongated with a constriction at the posterior 25% margin, anterior 25% brown/black, posterior 75% black ( Figure 17A – D ). Further, the flattened hookshaped RTA and the elongated petioles are diagnostic ( Figures 17A – D , 19A – D ). Similar to M. prava . However, can be easily separated from M. prava by the overall black colour of the male, very much shorter pedicel, slanted dorsal surface of the chelicerae, oval opisthosoma, and by the tapering, straight RTA in M. prava .

Description

See Edwards and Benjamin (2009).

Natural history

Edwards and Benjamin (2009) and Tikader (1973) report that this species mimics the ant Tetraponera allaborans (Walker, 1859) .

Distribution

Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan to Indonesia ( Edwards and Benjamin 2009).

Material examined

See Edwards and Benjamin (2009).

Figures

Figure 17. Myrmarachne melanocephala in life from Kurunagala, Sri Lanka. (A,B) female. (C,D) male.

Figure 18. Scanning electron micrographs of Myrmarachne melanocephala. (A–D) male palp, ventral view. Note the broken embolic tip. Scale bars = 10 µm (D); 20 µm (B,C); 100 µm (A).

Figure 19. Scanning electron micrographs of Myrmarachne melanocephala. (A–D) male palp, retrolateral view. Scale bars = 20 µm (B,C,D); 100 µm (A).