Ungoliant, Taylor, 2025

Ungoliant new genus

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A193A702-4E02-4280-A8A4-3155266E9F4D

Type species: Forsteropsalis photophaga Taylor & Probert, 2014 View in CoL .

Other included species (original combinations): Forsteropsalis bona Taylor & Probert, 2014 View in CoL , Macropsalis fabulosa Phillipps & Grimmett, 1932 View in CoL , Megalopsalis turneri Marples, 1944 View in CoL .

Etymology: Gender feminine. After Ungoliant , the monstrous spider-like entity featured in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. As well as her arachnid-like appearance, Ungoliant may also be compared to the type species U. photophaga in her role as destroyer of light-producing life-forms.

Comments: Ungoliant comprises to very distinct morphological clusters, with the type species divergent in appearance from the other three. All four are large-bodied enantiobunines with long pedipalps, the pedipalpal femur being longer than the prosoma in both sexes and at least 1.5 times as long as the prosoma in males. This exceeds the pedipalpal length of all other New Zealand Enantiobuninae ; the closest contenders are the genera Maikukunui , Pakaka and Puwere that may be further distinguished by features discussed under their respective headings. Armature in all four species is remarkably weak with carapace and legs bearing few or no denticles. At least some individuals of each species also share a unique male cheliceral morphology in which the second cheliceral segment is massively inflated and the cheliceral fingers are enlarged and bow-shaped ( Taylor 2011; Taylor & Probert 2014), though this feature is subject to intraspecific polymorphism. However, U. photophaga differs from other Ungoliant species in genital morphology, having the glans long and parallel-sided whereas that of the remaining species is short and subtriangular ( Taylor 2011; Taylor & Probert 2014). The pedipalpal patella of U. photophaga bears a distinct hypersetose apophysis, similar to that found in Pantopsalis , whereas the patellar apophysis of other species, if present, is less markedly setose ( Taylor & Probert 2014). Ungoliant fabulosa , U. bona and U. turneri are also united by a unique modification of distitarsus I, with the first several pseudosegments bearing a strong ventrodistal tooth ( Taylor & Probert 2014).

Nevertheless, Ungoliant is here recognised as a single genus rather than divided between two separate genera. Despite their strong morphological resemblances, U. fabulosa , U. bona and U. turneri have not been supported as a clade by molecular data ( Giribet et al. 2021b). Instead, Giribet et al. (2021b) support a close relationship between U. bona and U. photophaga . Both U. bona and U. photophaga have been found in association with the Waitomo cave complex of the central North Island, with U. photophaga potentially a strict troglobite ( Taylor & Probert 2014). Glandular pedipalpal setae have been identified as a predatory adaptation in harvestmen ( Wolff et al. 2016) and it is possible that the particularly long, densely setose pedipalps of U. photophaga assist it in capturing prey within the cave environment. Ungoliant photophaga is here selected as type species in recognition that the phylogenetic positions of the other species may be subject to future revision.