Micropholcomma caeligenum Crosby & Bishop, 1927

Rix, Michael & Harvey, Mark, 2010, The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level, ZooKeys 36 (36), pp. 1-321 : 24-25

Micropholcomma caeligenum Crosby & Bishop, 1927

Figs 7A , 9A , 12D, 13–14, 15A–B

Micropholcomma caeligenus Crosby & Bishop, 1927: 152 , pl. 16, fig. 19 (holotype male from Emerald, Victoria, Australia, in Cornell University collection, not examined, probably lost). Roewer, 1942: 392. Hickman, 1944: 183, figs 8–10. Bonnet, 1957: 2906. Forster, 1959: 328, fig. 135.

Micropholcomma caeligenum Crosby & Bishop : Davies, 1985: 89. Platnick, 2009.

Selected material examined. AUSTRALIA: Victoria: Emerald, Cardinia Reservoir , 20.IV.2006, M. Rix, 1♁, 3♀ ( WAM T77727) ; same data, 1♀ ( WAM T80014 DNA- MPE) ; Great Otway National Park, Maits Rest, 10 km W. of Apollo Bay , 23.IV.2006, M. Rix, 1♁ ( WAM T94450) ; Great Otway National Park, Melba Gully , 24.IV.2006 ,

M. Rix , 1♀ ( WAM T94449) ; same data except 5.XI.1997, G. & S. Monteith, 1♁, 2♀ ( QMB S41824 ) ; Great Otway National Park , track to Cora Lynn Cascades, near Lorne, 22.IV.2006, M. Rix, 2♀ ( WAM T94447) ; Yarra Ranges National Park , ‘ The Beeches’, near Marysville, 18.IV.2006, M. Rix, 1♁, 1♀ ( WAM T94448) .

Remarks. Micropholcomma caeligenum is similar to, and often sympatric with, M. bryophilum , e.g. in the Yarra Ranges and Otway Ranges of Victoria. It can be most easily distinguished by the absence of a pedipalp on the female. The holotype specimen described by Crosby and Bishop (1927) does not appear to be in the Cornell University collection as stated in the original description, or in the AMNH collection, and is probably lost (N. Platnick, pers. comm.).

Figures

Figure 7. The genera of Micropholcommatidae, illustrated with habitus photographs of representative male specimens. A–D tribe Micropholcommatini: A Micropholcomma caeligenum Crosby & Bishop B Pua novaezealandiae Forster C Austropholcomma florentine sp. n. D Tricellina gertschi (Forster & Platnick). E–M tribe Textricellini: E Eterosonycha aquilina sp. n. F Epigastrina fulva (Hickman) G Raveniella peckorum sp. n. H Rayforstia vulgaris (Forster) I Normplatnicka lamingtonensis (Forster)] Eperiella alsophila sp. n. K Algidiella aucklandica (Forster) L Taliniella nigra (Forster) M Tinytrella pusilla (Forster). N Patelliella adusta sp. n., tribe Patelliellini. O–P subfamily Taphiassinae: O Olgania excavata Hickman P Taphiassa robertsi sp. n. Q–R subfamily Gigiellinae: Q Gigiella milledgei sp. n. R Gigiella platnicki sp. n. Note that Guiniella tropica (Forster) is not illustrated.

Figure 9. Left pedipalps of male Micropholcommatini, Textricellini and Taphiassinae, showing trajectory of the sperm ducts: A Micropholcomma caeligenum Crosby & Bishop B Tinytrella pusilla (Forster) C Taphiassa punctata (Forster). Scale bars = 0.065 mm (65 µm). Numbered arrows denote the trajectory of the ducts, from the subtegular fundibule (1) to the base of the embolus.