Myrmarachne smaragdina, CECCARELLI, 2010

MYRMARACHNE SMARAGDINA CECCARELLI, 2010 View in CoL

Myrmarachne smaragdina Ceccarelli, 2010: 250 View in CoL , figs 28 – 36 (D ♂ ♀).

‘ Myrmarachne sp. ’ Ceccarelli (2008).

Type material

Australia. QLD: 1♂ holotype ( QMB, S66652, as designated by Ceccarelli, 2010) (28 August 2003; F.S. Ceccarelli) Magnetic Island (19 ° 09 0 11 ″ S, 146 ° 50 0 52 ″ E); 1♀ paratype ( AMS, KS.5771, as designated by Ceccarelli, 2010) (27 August 1970; R.E. Mascord) Edmonton area (17 ° 01 0 S, 145 ° 45 0 E). NT: 1♂ paratype ( AMS, KS.44998, as designated by Ceccarelli, 2010) (28 April 1938; D. Citin) Berrimah Research Farm (12 ° 26 0 S, 130 ° 55 0 E); 1♂ paratype ( AMS, KS.44999, as designated by Ceccarelli, 2010) (24 March 1988; D. Citin) same locality.

Material examined

Australia. NT: 1♂ ( QMB, S100092 View Materials ) (21 January 2013; I. Macaulay) Darwin (12 ° 27 0 58.41 ″ S, 130 ° 50 0 23.22 ″ E) ; 1♂ ( MUB) (26 September 2014; I. Macaulay) Jarred Friday (12 ° 27 0 58.41 ″ S, 130 ° 50 0 23.22 E) ; 1♂ ( QMB, S100128 View Materials ) (3 December 2014; I. Macaulay) same locality ; 1♂ ( QMB, S100127 View Materials ) (21 January 2013; I. Macaulay) same locality . QLD: 1♂ ( QMB, S100091 View Materials ) (23 December 2011; I. Macaulay) Cairns (16 ° 54 0 49.72 ″ S, 145 ° 46 0 0.45 E) ; 1 juv. ( CRW) (21 April 2014; I. Macaulay) same locality ; 1♂ ( QMB, S100090 View Materials ) (23 February 2013; I. Macaulay) Crystal Cascades (16 ° 57 0 51.30 ″ S, 145 ° 39 0 58.06 ″ E) ; 1♀ ( AMS, KS.18235) (29 July 1969; N.C. Coleman) Cairns (16 ° 55 0 S, 145 ° 46 0 E) ; 1♀ ( AMS, KS.18969) (6 February 1972; N.C. Coleman) Dundula (21 ° 12 0 S, 149 ° 09 0 E) ; 1♂, 1♀, 1 juv. ( MUB) (23 � 25 March 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) Cairns, Cairns Botanic Gardens (16 ° 53 0 57.563 ″ S, 145 ° 44 0 59.953 ″ E) . 2♀, 3 juv. ( MUB) (27 March 2014; G. Corcobado) Townsville, James Cook University Campus (19 ° 19 0 46.525 S, 146 ° 45 0 39.265 E) .

Diagnosis

See Ceccarelli (2010). This species is most closely related to M. helensmithae sp. nov., M. lupata , and M. macaulayi sp. nov. Both sexes of this species can be distinguished from the other species by the greenish body coloration and larger body size. Males can be further differentiated by large chelicerae, heterogenous cheliceral dentition, robust apophysis on the fang, and shallow groove below RTA. Females can be recognized by densely twisted copulatory ducts. This species is not diagnosable using DNA data (see below).

Description

Male: Measurements: for details, see Ceccarelli (2010); PTB = 0.82. Colour ( Fig. S1Q View Figure 1 ): see Ceccarelli (2010). Morphology: cheliceral prolateral margin with three robust and two smaller teeth, retrolateral margin with nine smaller teeth (the number of teeth varies); fangs straight with a robust bent ventral apophysis near to base ( Fig. 12A, B View Figure 12 ), tips curved; palpal cymbium oval, with one apical spine; tegulum small and round; embolus coiled 1.5 times, sinusoid, pointing forwards ( Fig. 12C View Figure 12 ); RTA tiny, hooked at the tip, pointing dorsally, flange developed ( Fig. 12D, E View Figure 12 ).

Female: Measurements and colour ( Fig. S1R View Figure 1 ): see Ceccarelli (2010). Morphology: epigyne with two round atria separated by a septum, atrium 1.2 times wider than septum; median pocket triangular, situated below septum with the upper rim almost at the level of lower rim of atria ( Fig. 12F View Figure 12 ); spermathecae elongate, copulatory ducts twisted above atria ( Fig. 12G View Figure 12 ).

Distribution

Australia: QLD, NT ( Fig. 4H View Figure 4 ).

Remarks

This species is very similar to Myrmarachne macrognatha (Thorell, 1894) from Flores, Indonesia ( Yamasaki & Edwards, 2013), originally described from Java. It differs only in the shape of prosoma and colour. Myrmarachne smaragdina might be a form of M. macrognatha , but more material of both species would be needed to resolve the status.