Further revision of the genus Megalopsalis (Opiliones, Neopilionidae), with the description of seven new speciesAuthorTaylor, Christopher K.textZooKeys201332859117http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.328.5439journal articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.328.54391313-2970-328-59Megalopsalis Roewer, 1923MacropsalisSorensen
, 1886: 54-55 non Sclater 1866 -
Pocock 1903
: 398;
Hogg 1910
: 277;
Roewer 1911
: 102,
1912
: 278.
Megalopsalis
Roewer, 1923: 866 (replacement name for
MacropsalisSorensen
) -
Forster 1944
: 184-185 (referring to material of
Forsteropsalis
Taylor, 2011);
Crawford 1992
: 28, 29;
Taylor 2011
: 31.
Spinicrus
Forster, 1949: 63 syn. n.;
Hickman 1957
: 73;
Crawford 1992
: 43.
Hypomegalopsalis
Taylor, 2011: 45 syn. n.
Type species.Macropsalis serritarsusSorensen
, 1886 by monotypy.
Other included species.Megalopsalis serritarsus
-species group:
Megalopsalis epizephyros
Taylor, 2011,
Megalopsalis eremiotis
Taylor, 2011,
Megalopsalis hoggi
Pocock, 1903,
Megalopsalis pilliga
Taylor, 2011.
Megalopsalis leptekes
-species group:
Megalopsalis leptekes
, 2011,
Megalopsalis tanisphyros
(Taylor, 2011), comb. n. (=
Hypomegalopsalis tanisphyros
).
Megalopsalis minima
-species group:
Megalopsalis minima
(Kauri, 1954), comb. n. (=
Spinicrus minimum
),
Megalopsalis porongorupensis
(Kauri, 1954), comb. n. (=
Spinicrus porongorupense
),
Megalopsalis suffugiens
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis walpolensis
sp. n..
Species not placed in species groups:
Megalopsalis atrocidiana
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis caeruleomontium
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis coronata
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis puerilis
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis stewarti
(Forster, 1949), comb. n. (=
Spinicrus stewarti
),
Megalopsalis sublucens
sp. n.,
Megalopsalis tasmanica
(Hogg, 1910), comb. n. (=
Pantopsalis tasmanica
),
Megalopsalis thryptica
(Hickman, 1957), comb. n. (=
Spinicrus thrypticum
).
Diagnosis.Megalopsalis
can be distinguished from all other genera of
Enantiobuninae
by its male genital morphology, with the glans being relatively short, broad, distally flattened, and more or less subtriangular in ventral view (e.g. Fig. 3d). It can be further distinguished from
Monoscutum
,
Acihasta
,
Templar
and
Australiscutum
by having the legs relatively long and thin, and the dorsum of the opisthosoma weakly sclerotised and unarmed (except
Megalopsalis atrocidiana
;
Forster 1948
;
Taylor 2008a
,
2009
).
Pantopsalis
,
Forsteropsalis
,
Neopantopsalis
and
Mangatangi
differ from all
Megalopsalis
species except
Megalopsalis caeruleomontium
by the presence of setae on the mobile finger of the chelicera (
Taylor 2013
: figs 1d, 2c).
Tercentenarium
has males with a distinct frontodistal bulge on the chelicerae (
Taylor 2008b
: fig. 3), and females with a
'keyhole'
-like emargination at the front of the genital operculum (
Taylor 2008b
: fig. 10).
Description.
Ozopores usually large, oblong (small, round in
Megalopsalis
nigricans
). Dorsum of opisthosoma unarmed (except with transverse rows of spines in
Megalopsalis atrocidiana
). Chelicera segment II denticulate or not; mobile finger usually closing tightly against finger of segment II, fingers bowed apart in larger males of
Megalopsalis caeruleomontium
. Pedipalp usually with patella shorter than tibia (slightly longer in
Megalopsalis nigricans
); apophysis present or absent on patella; claw with ventral tooth-row. Glans relatively short, broad, more or less subtriangular in ventral view, proximal section usually somewhat inflated dorsally (except in
Megalopsalis nigricans
); distal section more or less dorsoventrally flattened. Spiracle with reticulate or partially reticulate covering spines (reduced or absent in
Megalopsalis minima
-species group); lace tubercles present or absent.
Distribution(Figs 1, 7). Southern and eastern Australia.
Figure 1. Locality map for
Megalopsalis minima
species-group in southern Western Australia: open square =
Megalopsalis minima
; solid circle =
Megalopsalis porongorupensis
; circle with dot =
Megalopsalis walpolensis
; solid triangle =
Megalopsalis suffugiens
.
Comments.
The genus
Spinicrus
as previously defined (
Forster 1949
) is likely to be non-monophyletic with regard to both
Megalopsalis
and
Hypomegalopsalis
, and lacks clear synapomorphies (see phylogenetic analysis below). In contrast, the clade uniting these three genera is characterised by a distinct penis morphology, and they are hence united into a single genus
Megalopsalis
. The species groups listed above are clades that were consistently recovered in the phylogenetic analysis under varying analytical conditions; those species not placed in groups did not form consistent subgeneric clades across all analyses. Members of the
Megalopsalis serritarsus
- and
Megalopsalis leptekes
-groups were described by
Taylor (2011)
.
Megalopsalis
tasmanica
and
Megalopsalis thryptica
were described in detail by
Hickman (1957)
, and so are not redescribed here. Both sexes of
Megalopsalis tasmanica
can be distinguished from other
Neopilionidae
by their distinctive elongate opisthosoma as illustrated by
Hickman (1957
: fig. 29); this distinction is even more pronounced in the female. See below under
Megalopsalis stewarti
for discussion of the distinction between this species and
Megalopsalis thryptica
.
Key to males of species of
Megalopsalis