Abstract
A new ant-resembling spider species of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Myrmecotypus mazaxoidessp. nov., from the Sub-Andean area of the Bolivian orocline is described. Adults of M. mazaxoidessp. nov. resemble the carpenter ant Camponotus cf. melanoticus Emery, 1894 and were observed on the ground of savanna-like habitats close to the entrances of formicaries of this ant. This study is the first to report a ground-dwelling species of Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894; all the other species are arboreal.
Highlights
Six species are reported from South America, of which five have been recorded from Bolivia: Myrmecotypus haddadi Perger & Rubio, 2021, M. iguazu Rubio & Arbino, 2009, M. niger Chickering, 1937, M. rubrofemoratus Perger & Rubio, 2021, and M. tahyinandu Perger & Rubio, 2020 (World Spider Catalog 2021)
Ground-dwelling Neotropical Castianeirinae species have only been reported from the genera Castianeira Keyserling, 1879 (Reiskind 1969, 1977) and Mazax O
For the analysis of ant resemblance, we considered all ants that were collected in the surveyed location and were about the same body length as the spiders
Summary
Six species are reported from South America, of which five have been recorded from Bolivia: Myrmecotypus haddadi Perger & Rubio, 2021, M. iguazu Rubio & Arbino, 2009, M. niger Chickering, 1937, M. rubrofemoratus Perger & Rubio, 2021, and M. tahyinandu Perger & Rubio, 2020 (World Spider Catalog 2021). Potential ant models have been proposed for six of the known 13 species of Myrmecotypus (Perger and Rubio 2020a, 2021a). These forms resemble specific models of the ant tribes Camponotini and Dolichoderini. Ground-dwelling Neotropical Castianeirinae species have only been reported from the genera Castianeira Keyserling, 1879 (Reiskind 1969, 1977) and Mazax O. An unknown, ground-dwelling species of Myrmecotypus from the Bolivian orocline is described, and indirect evidence for specific ant mimicry is presented
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