Marengo, Wanless, 1978

Benjamin, Suresh P., 2004, Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic hypothesis for the jumping spider subfamily Ballinae (Araneae, Salticidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 142 (1), pp. 1-82 : 66-69

MARENGO G. & E. PECKHAM, 1892

Marengo G. & E. Peckham, 1892: 66. Simon, 1900: 400–401. Simon, 1901: 488, 502. Sherriffs, 1931: 538– 539. Wanless, 1978: 231–296. Zabka, 1999.

Type species: Marengo crassipes Peckham & Peckham, 1892 , by original description. Single adult female specimen in MCZ, not examined.

Remarks: Peckham & Peckham (1892) established Marengo to accommodate a single species, Marengo crassipes , from Sri Lanka ( Ceylon). They diagnosed the genus based on nongenital morphology and the colour of a single female specimen. The appearance of the specimen led them to denote the genus as ‘antlike’. According to the original description, the genus can be diagnosed by the flat prosoma, eye position and the enlarged femur I and tibia I. However, none of these characters are synapomorphic for Marengo . Simon (1900, 1901) redefined Marengo and described four more species. Lessert (1925) added a further species, M. kibonotensis . Marengo was one of the few salticid genera to be revised and redefined by Wanless (1978). He revised the genus to include seven species, three of them new. Philates was synonymized with Marengo , M. nitida with M. crassipes , and M. kibonotensis with M. coriacea . The genus was once more redefined and the scope broadened by Zabka (1999), based on five newly described species from Papua New Guinea. Wanless (1978) and Zabka (1999) progressively broadened the original definition of the genus to make placement of newly described species possible. As a result, prior to the present study Marengo was on its way to becoming something of a polyphyletic wastebasket.

Monophyly and phylogenetic placement: The monophyly of Marengo is supported by the presence of white patches on lateral sides of the opisthosoma (23-1) and marked sexual dimorphism (41-1). However, of the five species currently placed in Marengo , only M. crassipes and M. deelemanae are known from both sexes. The monophyly of M. crassipes is supported by the presence of a concave ec (3-0) and presence of lts with a surface ribbed with prominent spines (34-1). M. crassipes , M. inornata and M. striatipes all possess epigynes that look very different from each other. Additionally, M. striatipes does not have an enlarged femur 1. Thus, the monophyly of Marengo remains to be tested.

Diagnosis: Distinguished from Ballus , Baviola , Colaxes , Cynapes and Sadies by the presence of lts (33; Figs 61A , 63E, F , 64C, D , 68E, G ). Distinguished from all other Ballinae , except for Philates chelifer , by the absence of cag (16; Figs 62A–D , 66C, D , 67C , 68C, D ) and from P. chelifer by the presence of an enlarged femur I (30; Figs 61A , 65A, D , 68A, G ).

Description: See the description of the type species below and Wanless (1978).

Composition: Five species: M. crassipes , M. deelemanae sp. nov., M. inornata , M. nitida and M. striatipes .

Distribution: India: Kerala. Sri Lanka: Colombo, Kandy, Talawakele, Knuckles Range, Galle. Thailand: Pran Buri.

MARENGO CRASSIPES G. & E. PECKHAM, 1892

( FIGS 60A- C , 61A, B , 62A- D , 63A- F , 64A- D , 65D- F )

Marengo crassipes Peckham & Peckham (1892) : 66, pl. v, fig. 4a–c, 1♀ lectotype from Sri Lanka, in MCZ, not examined.

M. crassipes Simon, 1901: 492 , fig. 578. 1♀ from Sri Lanka ( MNHN 15223 ), Central Province, Kandy , examined.

M. crassipes Wanless, 1978: 264–266 , figs 3a–f, 4a; pls 1e, f, 2a–c, e.

Diagnosis: The female may be distinguished from those of all other known Marengo spp. by the presence of two pairs of white spots on the lateral sides of the opisthosoma ( Fig. 61A ; females of M. nitida are unknown). The male is separated from that of M. nitida by the thin, tapering and relatively longer rta ( Figs 60C , 63B , 65F ) and from that of M. deelemanae by the surface of lts, which is ribbed with numerous prominent spines. Males of M. inornata and M. striatipes are unknown.

Male: Sri Lanka, Kandy (MNHN 20405), total length 3.3; prosoma length 1.7, width 1.2. Leg I: femur 0.8, patella 0.3, tibia 0.9, metatarsus 0.6, tarsus 0.2. Markings as in Figures 60A , 65D . Prosoma dark reddishbrown to black-yellow, sides darker, with dark patches in front just behind ame and white patches just below the ple, venter uniformly yellow. Opisthosoma longer than wide, light brown to dark brown, dorsally with inconspicuous dark spots, laterally with a conspicuous oval spot, venter uniformly light yellow. Legs I–IV laterally with dark markings. Eyes in three rows, first recurved, second and third straight and surrounded

Figures

Figure 60. Marengo crassipes from Talawakele, Sri Lanka. A, male habitus, dorsal view. B, left male palp, ventral view. C, left male palp, retrolateral view. D, rta, male from Kandy (ZMUC 236). Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B–D); 2.0 mm (A).

Figure 61. Marengo crassipes from Talawakele, Sri Lanka. A, female habitus, dorsal view. B, epigynum, ventral view. Arrows = white patches. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B); 2.0 mm (A).

Figure 62. Marengo crassipes from Talawakele, Sri Lanka. Female genitalia. A, B, ventral view. C, D, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

Figure 63. SEM, Marengo crassipes, male from Talawakele, Sri Lanka. A, male palp, retrolateral view, details of ec and embolus. B, rta. C, setae on the apex of cy, retrolateral view. D, detail of C. E, right tibia I, lateral view. F, detail of E. Scale bars = 1 Mm (D); 3 Mm (F); 10 Mm (B); 30 Mm (A, C); 50 Mm (E).

Figure 64. SEM, Marengo crassipes, female from Talawakele, Sri Lanka. A prosoma, dorsal view. B, detail of A. C, right tibia I, lateral view. D, detail of C. Scale bars = 3 Mm (D); 10 Mm (B); 50 Mm (C); 100 Mm (A).

Figure 65. A–C, Marengo nitida (MNHN 20415). D-F, M. crassipes (MNHN 20405). A, male habitus, dorsal view. B, male palp, ventral view. C, same, retrolateral view. D, male habitus, dorsal view. E, male palp, ventral view. F, same, retrolateral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B, C, E, F); 2.0 mm (A, D).

Figure 66. Marengo inornata (MNHN 21411). A, habitus, ventral view. B, epigynum, ventral view. C, vulva, ventral view. D, same, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B–D); 2.0 mm (A).

Figure 67. Marengo striatipes (MNHN 16268). A, habitus, ventral view. B, epigynum, ventral view. C, vulva, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B, C); 2.0 mm (A).

Figure 68. Marengo deelemanae sp. nov. (RMNH). A–D, female. E-G, male. A, habitus, ventral view. B, epigynum, ventral view. C, vulva, ventral view. D, same, dorsal view. E, male palp, retrolateral view. F, same, ventral view. G, habitus, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.2 mm (B–F); 2.0 mm (A, G).