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A Taxonomic Review of the Trapdoor Spider Genus Myrmekiaphila (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae)

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A Taxonomic Review of the Trapdoor Spider Genus Myrmekiaphila (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae) PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024 Number 3596, 30 pp., 106 figures December 12, 2007 A Taxonomic Review of the Trapdoor Spider Genus Myrmekiaphila (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae) JASON E. BOND1 AND NORMAN I. PLATNICK2 ABSTRACT The mygalomorph spider genus Myrmekiaphila comprises 11 species known only from the southeastern United States. The type species, M. foliata Atkinson, is removed from the synonymy of M. fluviatilis (Hentz) and placed as a senior synonym of M. atkinsoni Simon. A neotype is designated for M. fluviatilis and males of the species are described for the first time. Aptostichus flavipes Petrunkevitch is transferred to Myrmekiaphila. Six new species are described: M. coreyi and M. minuta from Florida, M. neilyoungi from Alabama, M. jenkinsi from Tennessee and Kentucky, and M. millerae and M. howelli from Mississippi. INTRODUCTION throughout the southeastern United States (fig. 1), ranging from northern Virginia along The trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila the Appalachian Mountains southward (Cyrtaucheniidae, Euctenizinae) has long re- through West Virginia, Kentucky, North and mained in relative obscurity. Aside from South Carolina, Tennessee, and northern occasional species descriptions, no significant Georgia into the Southeastern Plains and taxonomic work on the group has appeared. Southern Coastal Plain of Alabama, Mis- Members of the genus are widely distributed sissippi, and Florida. The range of the genus 1 Research Associate, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History; Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Howell Science Complex N211, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 (bondja@ ecu.edu). 2 Peter J. Solomon Family Curator, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History; Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, City College, City University of New York; Adjunct Professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University; Adjunct Senior Research Scientist, Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, Columbia University ([email protected]). Copyright E American Museum of Natural History 2007 ISSN 0003-0082 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3596 Fig. 1. Generalized distribution map for Myrmekiaphila species. com – M. comstocki, cor – M. coreyi,fol– M. foliata, fla – M. flavipes, fluv – M. fluviatilis, how – M. howelli,jen–M. jenkinsi, mil – M. millerae, min – M. minuta, nyo – M. neilyoungi,tor–M. torreya. also extends west into southern Indiana, 1886, and personal observations). Some other Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and eastern North American euctenizines build burrows and central Texas. Thus, Myrmekiaphila with side chambers (e.g., Promyrmekiaphila species are found in a diverse set of habitats Schenkel, Aptostichus Simon); however, they and ecoregions, ranging from the relatively do not close the below-ground chambers with high elevation temperate deciduous forests of trapdoors. the southern Appalachian Mountains to the The family level placement of the genus, more xeric, low elevation climates of central although recently addressed, remains to be Texas. fully resolved. Myrmekiaphila was transferred Members of the genus are homogenous in from the Ctenizidae to the Cyrtaucheniidae, general morphology and behavior. Females and placed in the subfamily Euctenizinae, by are moderate in size for trapdoor spiders and Raven (1985). Recent phylogenetic analyses of tend to be uniform in coloration across taxa the Mygalomorphae (Bond and Hedin, 2006; (figs. 2, 3); most live specimens show some Hedin and Bond, 2006) show the subfamily evidence of dusky stripes on the dorsum of the Euctenizinae to be monophyletic but indicate abdomen. Males are easily distinguished from that serious reconsideration of the family other members of the North American myga- Cyrtaucheniidae is warranted; Myrmekiaphila lomorph fauna by the modified palpal tibia will likely be placed in a different family in the (figs. 4–13). All members of the genus appear near future. Within the North American to live in subterranean, silk-lined burrows, euctenizine clade, Myrmekiaphila appeared as covered by a silken-soil trapdoor, from which the sister group to all the southwestern genera the spiders forage. Some Myrmekiaphila spe- save Apomastus Bond and Opell (the sister cies appear unique among cyrtaucheniids group to all euctenizines) in the results of because they construct burrow side chambers Bond and Hedin (2006). This result differed that can be closed off from the main burrow from that reported by Bond and Opell (2002), chamber by a second trapdoor (Atkinson who placed Myrmekiaphila as the sister group 2007 BOND AND PLATNICK: SPIDER GENUS MYRMEKIAPHILIA 3 to all North American euctenizines plus appendage, in retrolateral view, using the Apomastus. highest magnification possible. Lengths of As with many mygalomorph groups, the leg articles were taken from the midline- taxonomic history of Myrmekiaphila is rela- proximal point of articulation to the midline- tively brief. The genus was first described by distal point of the article. Color images of Atkinson (1886) for the type species M. male palps and leg I were prepared using foliata. Eventually synonymized with M. a Microptics Imaging System (Microptics, Inc., fluviatilis (Hentz, 1850) by Banks (1900), M. Ashland, VA). Carapace and leg coloration are foliata erroneously remained in synonymy described using MunsellH Color Charts through the works of a number of authors (Windsor, NY) and are given using the color (Simon, 1892; Bishop and Crosby, 1926; name and color notation (hue value/chroma). Petrunkevitch, 1929). Only three additional Palpal bulbs examined using scanning electron species have been described: M. atkinsoni microscopy were air-dried and sputter coated Simon (1891), M. comstocki Bishop and with gold prior to viewing on an FEI Quanta Crosby (1926), and M. torreya Gertsch and 200. Spermathecae were dissected from the Wallace (1936). Although a number of work- specimen, cleared in clove oil, and examined ers (Roth, 1994; Bond, 2005) recognized the under a compound microscope. existence of additional species diversity within The species description format and features the genus, we present here the first compre- assessed follow Bond (2004). Although stan- hensive taxonomic review of the group. dard institutional and descriptive spider ab- breviations are used whenever possible, they MATERIAL, METHODS, are defined here for the purposes of clarity: AND ABBREVIATIONS Institutional. AMNH (American Museum of Natural History), CAU (Auburn University, Unique specimen voucher numbers were G. Mullen), CUC (Cornell University assigned to all specimens (MYR001–MYR293 Collection, housed at AMNH), CDF (person- and MYxxxx); a label with the voucher al collection of D. Folkerts), JAB (personal number was added to each vial. All collecting collection of J. Beatty), ECU-AMNH (cur- localities were georeferenced using a Global rently housed in the East Carolina University Positioning System receiver or by finding the Spider collection, to be transferred to the approximate locality, based on collecting label AMNH), FSCA (Florida State Collection of data, on United States Geological Survey Arthropods, G. Edwards), MCZ (Museum of topographic maps or with Google Earth Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, (Google Inc., Mountain View, CA). Latitude G. Giribet), USNM (United States National and longitude data approximated in the latter Museum, Smithsonian Institution, J. Cod- manner are provided in brackets [ ] in the dington), VMNH (Virginia Museum of material examined sections. Because many of Natural History, R. Hoffman); Morpho- the older collecting labels lack sufficient logical. Cl/w (carapace length/width), STRl/w locality information, many of the georefer- (sternum length/width), LBl/w (labium length/ enced values are imprecise and should be used width), A/PER (anterior/posterior eye row), with caution. Data for labels that document A/PME (anterior/posterior median eye), PL/ only county and/or town information were MS (posterior lateral/median spinnerets), TSp/ georeferenced to the approximate geographic r and TSrd (male tibia I spines prolateral/ center of the locality. Detailed locality data retrolateral and retrolateral distal), PTw/l and associated GIS data can be downloaded (male palpal tibia width/length), Bl (palpal at http://www.mygalomorphae.org as an Excel bulb length), PT/TB3s (female patella/tibia III file and as a Biota (Colwell, 2003) data set. spines). Leg article measurements are in the All measurements are in millimeters and following order: femur, patella, tibia, meta- were taken with a Leica MZ 9.5 stereomicro- tarsus, and tarsus. The variation sections scope equipped with a 103 ocular and ocular document values measured from three indi- micrometer scale. Measurements, unless oth- viduals selected from multiple geographic erwise stated, were taken from the left locations to represent the extremes from all 4 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3596 2007 BOND AND PLATNICK: SPIDER GENUS MYRMEKIAPHILIA 5 specimens examined (when sufficient material dark reddish-brown dorsally (-’s) or some was available). species with wide dusky stripes on dorsum (U’s, fig. 3), ventrum and spinnerets pale SYSTEMATICS yellow. Carapace sclerotization uniform across its entire length. Foveal groove gener- Family Cyrtaucheniidae Simon, 1892 ally deep, procurved; straight to slightly recurved in some species. Eyes either not Subfamily Euctenizinae Raven,
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