Myrmecicultoridae, a New Family of Myrmecophilic Spiders from the Chihuahuan Desert (Araneae: Entelegynae)

RAMÍREZ, MARTÍN J.; GRISMADO, CRISTIAN J. ET AL.

AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES

AMER MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY

Lugar: New York; Año: 2019 vol. 2019 p. 1 - 24

0003-0082

The new genus and species Myrmecicultor chihuahuensis Ramírez, Grismado, and Ubick isdescribed and proposed as the type of the new family, Myrmecicultoridae Ramírez, Grismado, andUbick. The species is ecribellate, with entelegyne genitalia, two tarsal claws, without claw tufts, andthe males have a retrolateral palpal tibial apophysis. Some morphological characters suggest a possiblerelationship with Zodariidae or Prodidomidae, but the phylogenetic analysis of six markersfrom the mitochondrial (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and nuclear (histoneH3, 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA) genomes indicate that M. chihuahuensis is a separate lineage emergingnear the base of the Dionycha and the Oval Calamistrum clade. The same result is obtained whenthe molecular data are combined with a dataset of morphological characters. Specimens of M. chihuahuensiswere found associated with three species of harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex rugosus,Novomessor albisetosis, and Novomessor cockerelli, and were collected in pitfall traps when the antsare most active. The known distribution spans the Big Bend region of Texas (Presidio, Brewster, andHudspeth counties), to Coahuila (Cuatro Ciénegas) and Aguascalientes (Tepezalá), Mexico.