Leptorchestes simoni L. Koch, 1879

Leptorchestes simoni L. Koch, 1879 : pl. 93, fig. 5 – new synonym, forma erato , only drawings of habitus.

Type material

Australia. QLD: 1♀ holotype forma erato ( ZMH, 16507) , Peak Downs (23 ° 04 0 S, 148 ° 19 0 E).

Material examined

Australia.

Forma erato : NSW, 1♀ ( MUB) (7 February 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) North Ryde, Macquarie University Campus   GoogleMaps (33 ° 46 0 22.38 ″ S, 151 ° 6 0 51.056 ″ E); 7 juv. ( MUB) (26 February 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) same locality; 5 juv. ( MUB) (4 March 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) same locality; 1♀ ( QMB, S100137 View Materials ) (28 October 2014; I. Macaulay) Kyogle (28 ° 36 0 55 ″ S, 152 ° 59 0 54 ″ E); 2♀♀, 2 juv. ( MUB) (9 July 2014; S. Pekar) Macquarie Port, Glebe city park (31 ° 26 0 2.04 ″ S, 152 ° 54 0 32.068 ″ E); 1F ( MUB) (2 November 2012; I. Macaulay) Uki, near Murwillunbah (28 ° 24 0 42 ″ S, 153 ° 20 0 21 ″ E) . QLD: 1 juv. ( MUB) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey Bay, Scarness   GoogleMaps , city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E); 4♀♀, 1 juv. ( MUB) (18 July 2014; S. Pekar) Marchoochydore, park along river (26 ° 38 0 39.563 ″ S, 153 ° 4 0 47.125 ″ E); 1♀, 3 juv. ( MUB) (12 July 2014; S. Pekar) Duranbah, Tropical Fruit World (28 ° 17 0 6.583 ″ S, 153 ° 31 0 42.729 ″ E); 1♂ ( QMB, S41390 View Materials ) (5 October 1980; V. Salanitri) Redcliffe, Brisbane (27 ° 13 0 59.988 ″ S, 153 ° 3 0 E) ; 1♀ ( AMS) (16 July 2014; S. Pekar) Agnes Water, park (24 ° 12 0 38.02 ″ S, 151 ° 54 0 18.432 ″ E); 1♂ ( QMB, S100130 View Materials ) (5 November 2004; I. Macaulay) Ingham (18 ° 39 0 18.39 ″ S, 146 ° 9 0 12.67 ″ E); 1♀ ( QMB, S100152 View Materials ) (22 November 2013; I. Macaulay) Barron Gorge National Park, car park (16 ° 50 0 10.55 ″ S, 145 ° 38 0 34.20 ″ E); 1♀ ( QMB, S100156 View Materials ) (10 March 2014; I. Macaulay) same locality; 1♀ ( QMB, S100155 View Materials ) (4 March 2012; I. Macaulay) same locality; 1♀ ( QMB, S100153 View Materials ) (1 November 2013; I. Macaulay) Brisbane, Nudgee (27 ° 22 0 21.59 ″ S, 153 ° 5 0 36.11 ″ E); 1♂ ( QMB, S100120 View Materials ) (9 January 2013; I. Macaulay) Emerald (23 ° 30 0 49.69 ″ S, 148 ° 9 0 35.58 ″ E); 1♀ ( QMB, S100118 View Materials ) (24 November 2011; I. Macaulay) Stradbroke Island   GoogleMaps , Flinders Beach (27 ° 25 0 08 ″ S, 153 ° 29 0 09 ″ E); 1♀ ( QMB, S100154 View Materials ) (26 December 2011; I. Macaulay) Townsville (19 ° 15 0 11.64 ″ S, 146 ° 48 0 36.24 ″ E); 1 juv. ( QMB, S100151 View Materials ) (19 February 2013; I. Macaulay) Ingham (18 ° 39 0 18.94 ″ S, 146 ° 9 0 12.37 ″ E) . WA: 1♀ ( QMB, S73287 View Materials ) (28 November 1987; B. Baehr, M. Baehr) Stirling Range, Nth   GoogleMaps (34 ° 22 0 56.3 ″ S, 117 ° 59 0 53.4 ″ E); 1♀ ( CRW) (24 October 2013; I. Macaulay) Perth (31 ° 57 0 43.70 ″ S, 115 ° 50 0 17.83 ″ E) .

Forma daemeli : QLD, 1♂ ( MUB) (18 July 2014; S. Pekar) Marchoochydore   GoogleMaps , park along river (26 ° 38 0 39.563 ″ S, 153 ° 4 0 47.125 ″ E); 1♂ ( MUB) (16 July 2014; S. Pekar) Agnes Water   GoogleMaps , park (24 ° 12 0 38.02 ″ S, 151 ° 54 0 18.432 ″ E); 1♂, 1 juv. ( MUB) (14 July 2014; S. Pekar) Hervey Bay, Scarness, city park (25 ° 17 0 19.324 ″ S, 152 ° 51 0 34.513 ″ E); 1♂ ( QMB, S100150 View Materials ) (5 November 2013; I. Macaulay) Torbanlea, near Marchyborough (25 ° 20 0 43.52 ″ S, 152 ° 35 0 58.63 E); 1♂ ( QMB, S100139 View Materials ) (30 October 2014; I. Macaulay) Beerwah (26 ° 51 0 27.69 ″ S, 152 ° 56 0 24.24 ″ E) . NSW: 1♂ ( MUB) (9 July 2014; S. Pekar) Macquarie Port, Glebe city park (31 ° 26 0 2.04 ″ S, 152 ° 54 0 32.068 ″ E) .

Forma ornata : NSW: 4♂♂, 1♀, 4 juv. ( MUB) (21 February 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) North Ryde   GoogleMaps , Macquarie University Campus (33 ° 46 0 22.38 ″ S, 151 ° 6 0 51.056 ″ E); 1♀, 2 juv. ( MUB) (18 March 2014; G. Corcobado, S. Pekar) same locality; 1♂ ( MUB) (9 July 2014; S. Pekar) Macquarie Port, Glebe City Park (31 ° 26 0 2.04 ″ S, 152 ° 54 0 32.068 ″ E); 1♂, 1 juv. ( MUB) (12 July 2014; S. Pekar) Duranbah, Tropical Fruit World (28 ° 17 0 6.583 ″ S, 153 ° 31 0 42.729 ″ E) . QLD: 2♂♂ ( MUB) (18 July 2014; S. Pekar) Marchoochydore   GoogleMaps , park along river (26 ° 38 0 39.563 ″ S, 153 ° 4 0 47.125 ″ E); 1♂ ( QMB, S100132 View Materials ) (13 December 2014; I. Macaulay) Ingham (18 ° 39 0 18.39 ″ S, 146 ° 9 0 12.67 ″ E) .

Etymology

The forma names are derived from ant species they imitate (see Natural history).

Diagnosis

Most similar to M. luctuosa . It can be distinguished from M. luctuosa by a smaller body size, centrally situated yellow patch on the dorsal side of abdomen, and the presence of lateral white stripes on the abdomen. Furthermore, males can be distinguished by pointed apophyses on chelicera, narrow palpal Ti, straight RTA, and straight embolus. Females can be recognized by oval atria.

Description

Male: Measurements (N = 28): total body length 5.7 mm (4.1 – 7.5 mm), carapace length 2.6 mm (2.0 – 3.2 mm), carapace width 1.3 mm (1.0 – 1.6 mm), chelicera length 0.9 mm (0.6 – 1.1 mm), abdomen length 2.7 mm (2.1 – 3.5 mm), PTB = 0.60. Colour (forma erato ): overall body colour dark brown to black, in a few specimens red – brown; dorsal chelicerae and cephalic part of carapace reticulated with a metallic shine, thoracic part dark brown to black, covered with sparse yellow hairs; clypeus with white hairs, carapace covered with white or yellow hairs giving whitish or golden appearance in live specimen; endites and palps brown, labium and sternum dark brown; leg segments dark brown to black, except for Cx I, II, and IV, pale, Pt I, II, and IV, Ta II, Ti I, Tr II and IV, pale with longitudinal dark-brown to black lateral and retrolateral stripes; Pt IV with lateral white spot; abdomen dorsally with a yellow area in the middle, laterally with a white stripe so that ventrally there are stripes near to epigastric furrow ( Fig. 5F View Figure 5 ), anteriorly and posteriorly with yellow hairs: entire abdomen has golden shine with two black transverse stripes. Morphology: chelicerae small, slightly protruding, with an apophysis on the prolateral side, three teeth on prolateral margin, and three or four teeth on retrolateral margin of chelicerae ( Fig. 5H, I View Figure 5 ); prosoma elongate dorsally with a shallow constriction ( Fig. 5A, E View Figure 5 ), cephalic part of carapace flat, as high as thoracic part ( Fig. 5E View Figure 5 ). leg spines: Ti I and II with two or three ventral pairs, Mt I and II each with two ventral pairs; abdomen elongate with a shallow constriction ( Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); palpal cymbium oval, with two apical spines, tegulum large and round, embolus coiled twice, tip of embolus straight ( Figs 2C, 5J View Figure 5 ); RTA rather long, slightly sinusoid, flange of RTA not developed ( Figs 2D, 5K View Figure 5 ).

Female: Measurements (N = 17): total body length 6.0 mm (5.3 – 6.8 mm), carapace length 2.6 mm (2.3 – 3.0 mm), carapace width 1.3 mm (1.2 – 1.5 mm), chelicera length 0.8 mm (0.5 – 1.3 mm), abdomen length 3.1 mm (2.6 – 3.7 mm). Colour ( Fig. S1C View Figure 1 ): as in males, but dorsal side of palpal Pt, Ta, and chelicera metallic. Morphology: as in males ( Fig. 5G View Figure 5 ), but carapace and abdomen dorsally with more prominent constriction; epigyne with oval, whitish atria, separated with a septum, atria ~1.5 times wider than septum ( Figs 3B View Figure 3 , 5L View Figure 5 ); median pocket situated at base of septum so that the upper rim of the pocket is far below the lower rim of atria; spermathecae round, situated above atria, copulatory ducts not twisted ( Fig. 5M View Figure 5 ).

Variation

Forma ornata is represented by both sexes of a similar colour pattern ( Fig. S1E View Figure 1 ): chelicerae, legs, sternum, labium, palps, and venter of abdomen as in forma erato ; cephalic part of carapace with sparse white hairs, thoracic part dorsally covered with dense golden hairs; abdomen as in forma erato , but posterior third black without hairs ( Fig. 5B, D View Figure 5 ). Forma daemeli is known only from male ( Fig. S1D View Figure 1 ): chelicerae, legs, sternum, labium, palps, and venter of abdomen as in forma erato ; some specimens have red – brown colour; cephalic part of prosoma with dense white hairs, thoracic part covered with dense golden hairs; abdomen dorsally with dense white hairs in anterior part, the remainder covered with golden hairs ( Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ). The three forms do not differ significantly in size in any measured parameter (ANOVA, P> 0.14).

Natural history

This species was found running on the trunks of gum trees during sunny days. Silken retreats are built on the undersides of small pieces of bark. Forma erato occurs in the vicinity of the ant Polyrhachis erato Forel, 1902 , forma daemeli occurs in the vicinity of Polyrhachis daemeli Mayr, 1876 , and forma ornata occurs in the vicinity of Polyrhachis ornata Mayr, 1876 . Forms appear to imitate the respective ant species.

Distribution

Australia: QLD, WA, and northern NSW (forma erato ); NSW and southern QLD (forma daemeli and ornata ) ( Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ).

Remarks

There is a mismatch in Koch’s description. According to the drawings and detailed description of habitus and coloration, these specimens would be identified as Myrmarachne simoni (L. Koch, 1879) . But comparison with the type material (which has lost its coloration, so identification can only be reliably based on sexual organs) show that these specimens are M. erythrocephala . Unfortunately, Koch’s written description and drawings of the epigyne are not detailed enough for further determination.