Abstract
The ant-mimic spider genus Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 is revised for the first time from South America, increasing the number of species known from that region from seven to 15, totaling 23 known species in the genus. The identity of three Neotropical species currently in Apochinomma Pavesi, 1880 was recovered and they are transferred to Myrmecotypus: M. formica (Simon, 1896) comb. nov., M. formicoides Mello-Leitão, 1939 comb. nov., and M. dacetonoides (Mello-Leitão, 1948) comb. nov.. Myrmecotypus formicoides is proposed as a junior synonym of M. niger Chickering, 1937 and M. dacetonoides is considered the senior synonym of M. iguazu Rubio & Arbino, 2009. Apochinomma myrmecioides Mello-Leitão, 1922 and A. bilineatum Mello-Leitão, 1939 are also transferred to Myrmecotypus but considered as a nomina dubia. Myrmecotypus rubioi Pett & Perger, 2021 is transferred to Grismadox Pett, Perger & Rubio, 2022. Myrmecotypus tahyinandu Perger & Rubio, 2020 and M. haddadi Perger & Rubio, 2021 are recorded from Brazil for the first time, and M. rubrofemoratus Perger & Rubio, 2021 is recorded from Peru for the first time. Eight new species are proposed: M. drogon spec. nov. (♂), M. regianeae spec. nov. (♂ ♀), M. candianii spec. nov. (♂ ♀), M. balerion spec. nov. (♂ ♀), M. ciriaco spec. nov. (♂ ♀), and M. rapaxoides spec. nov. (♂ ♀) from Brazil, M. ednae spec. nov. (♂ ♀) from Brazil and Peru, and M. atratoides spec. nov. (♀) for Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. All South American species are rediagnosed and mapped, and a key to all Myrmecotypus species is provided.
References
- Candiani, D.F. & Bonaldo, A.B. (2017) The superficial ant: a revision of the Neotropical ant-mimicking spider genus Myrmecium Latreille, 1824 (Araneae, Corinnidae, Castianeirinae). Zootaxa, 4230 (1), 1–95. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4230.1.1
- Chickering, A.M. (1937) The Clubionidae of Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Transactions of the American Microscopical Society, 56, 1–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/3222720
- Carvalho, T.G. de & Gasnier, T.R.J. (2019) Illustrated inventory of spiders from Amazonas state, Brazil: 94 understory species from a forest fragment in Manaus. Scientia Amazonia, 8, CB1–CB53.
- Cushing, P.E. (1997) Myrmecomorphy and myrmecophily in spiders: a review. Florida Entomologist, 80, 165–193. https://doi.org/10.2307/3495552
- Cushing, P.E. (2012) Spider-ant associations: an updated review of myrmecomorphy, myrmecophily, and myrmecophagy in spiders. Psyche, 2012, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/151989
- Deeleman-Reinhold, C.L. (1993) A new spider genus from Thailand with a unique ant-mimicking device, with description of some other castianeirine spiders (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae). Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society, 40, 167–184.
- Deeleman-Reinhold, C.L. (2001) Forest spiders of South East Asia: with a revision of the sac and ground spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Liocranidae, Gnaphosidae, Prodidomidae and Trochanterriidae [sic]). Brill, Leiden, 591 pp. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004475588
- Haddad, C.R. (2013) A revision of the ant-like sac spider genus Apochinomma Pavesi 1881 (Araneae: Corinnidae) in the Afrotropical region. Journal of Natural History, 47, 2493–2529. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2013.791933
- Haddad, C.R. & Louw, S.V. (2012) A redescription of Merenius alberti Lessert, 1923 (Araneae: Corinnidae), with remarks on colour polymorphism and its relationship to ant models. African Invertebrates, 53, 571–591. https://doi.org/10.5733/afin.053.0213
- Jäger, P., Arnedo, M.A., Azevedo, G.H.F., Baehr, B., Bonaldo, A.B., Haddad, C.R., Harms, D., Hormiga, G., Labarque, F.M., Muster, C., Ramírez, M.J. & Santos, A.J. (2021) Twenty years, eight legs, one concept: describing spider biodiversity in Zootaxa (Arachnida: Araneae). Zootaxa, 4979 (1), 131–146. [PMID: 34187009] https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.14
- Leister, M. & Miller, K. (2014) A new species of ant mimicking spider, Myrmecotypus jasmineae (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), from Nicaragua. Zootaxa, 3838 (4), 495–500. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3838.4.8
- Levi, H.W. (1965) Techniques for the study of spider genitalia. Psyche, 72, 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1155/1965/94978
- Oliveira, P.S. (1988) Ant-mimicry in some Brazilian salticid and clubionid spiders (Araneae: Salticidae, Clubionidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 33, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1988.tb00443.x
- Mello-Leitão, C. F. de (1922) Novas clubionidas do Brasil. Archivos da Escola Superior de Agricultura e Medicina Veterinaria, Rio de Janeiro, 6, 17–56.
- Mello-Leitão, C.F. de (1939a) Algunos aracnidos de Sudamerica. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural, 43, 169–176.
- Mello-Leitão, C.F. de (1939b) Aracnidos. Anexo N. 1 ao relatório da excursão científica do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz realizada na zona da E. F. N. O. B., em outubro de 1938. Boletim Biológico São Paulo, New Series, 4, 281–294.
- Mello-Leitão, C.F. de (1948). Contribuição ao conhecimento da fauna araneológica das Guianas. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 20 (2), 151–196.
- Oxford, G.S. & Gillespie, R.G. (1998) Evolution and ecology of spider coloration. Annual Review of Entomology, 43, 619–643. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ento.43.1.619
- Perger, R. & Dupérré, N. (2021) Myrmecotypus mazaxoides sp. nov. – a new ground-dwelling, carpenter ant-resembling sac spider species from the Bolivian orocline, with indirect evidence for species-specific mimicry (Araneae, Corinnidae, Castianeirinae). Zoosystematics and Evolution, 97 (1), 273–280. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.97.64766
- Perger, R. & Rubio, G.D. (2020) Contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical ant-like spiders: Myrmecotypus tahyinandu sp. nov. from Bolivian Chiquitano forest, a new country record for M. niger, and indirect evidence for species-specific mimicry (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae). Zootaxa, 4790 (1), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4790.1.9
- Perger, R. & Rubio, G.D. (2021a) A new species of Myrmecotypus Pickard-Cambridge spider (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae) from the Bolivian orocline, imitating one of the world’s most aggressive ants. Insecta Mundi, 860, 1–8.
- Perger, R. & Rubio, G.D. (2021b) Myrmecotypus haddadi sp. nov. – a new species of ant resembling sac spider from the Bolivian orocline (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae). Zootaxa, 4969 (1), 54–60. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4969.1.2
- Pett, B.L. (2021) Description of a new species of Myrmecotypus (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), the first of its genus known from Paraguay, with an updated key to species. Zootaxa, 4999 (1), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4999.1.5
- Pett, B.L. & Perger, R. (2021) Contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical Castianeirinae (Araneae: Corinnidae): redescription of Castianeira spinipalpis Mello-Leitão, 1945, with first description of the male, and description of a new Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 from the Bolivian Moxos plains. Zootaxa, 5058 (2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5082.2.4
- Pett, B.L., Rubio, G.D. & Perger, R. (2022) Grismadox gen. nov., a new Neotropical genus of ant-resembling spiders (Araneae, Corinnidae, Castianeirinae), including the description of two new species from Bolivia and Paraguay. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 98 (1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.98.76677
- Platnick, N.I. & Raven, R.J. (2013) Spider systematics: past and future. Zootaxa, 3683 (5), 595–600 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3683.5.8
- Pickard-Cambridge, F.O. (1899) Arachnida - Araneida and Opiliones. In: Biologia Centrali-Americana, Zoology. Vol. 2. Published for the editors by R. H. Porter, London, pp. 41–88, pls. 2–6.
- Quantum GIS, Development Team (2018) Version 2.18 Quantum GIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. Available from: http://www.qgis.org (accessed 2 February 2024)
- Raven, R.J. (2015) A revision of ant-mimicking spiders of the family Corinnidae (Araneae) in the Western Pacific. Zootaxa, 3958 (1), 1–258. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3958.1.1
- Reiskind, J. (1969) The spider subfamily Castianeirinae of North and Central America (Araneae, Clubionidae). Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology, 138, 163–325.
- Reiskind, J. (1971) The South America Castianeirinae. I. The genus Psellocoptus (Araneae: Clubionidae). Psyche, 78, 193–202. https://doi.org/10.1155/1971/69090
- Rubio, G.D. & Arbino, M.O. (2009) The first Myrmecotypus O. P.-Cambridge (Araneae: Corinnidae) from Argentina: description of Myrmecotypus iguazu new species. Zootaxa, 2158 (1), 65–68. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2158.1.6
- Rubio, G.D., Arbino, M.O. & Cushing, P.E. (2013) Ant mimicry in the spider Myrmecotypus iguazu (Araneae: Corinnidae), with notes about myrmecomorphy in spiders. Journal of Arachnology, 41, 395–399. https://doi.org/10.1636/J13-35.1
- Simon, E. (1896) Descriptions d’arachnides nouveaux de la famille des Clubionidae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique, 40, 400–422. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.2026
- Simon, E. (1897) Histoire naturelle des araignées. Vol. 1. Roret, Paris, 192 pp.
- Silva-Junior, C.J., Martínez, L., Villarreal, E. & Bonaldo, A. (2024) Two fancy spines and a collar: a taxonomic review of the myrmecomorphic spider genus Mazax O. P.-Cambridge, 1898 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae) in South America. European Journal of Taxonomy, 968, 1, 219–255. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2024.968.2731
- World Spider Catalog (2024) World Spider Catalog. Version 25.0. Natural History Museum of Bern, Bern. Available from: http://wsc.nmbe.ch (accessed 10 October 2024) https://doi.org/10.24436/2