The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

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  The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber Abstract A new specimen of the fossil spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Araneae: Mesothelae) is described from the mid-Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Like the original holotype, the new specimen is a mature male, which clearly preserves a series of tibial macrospines, similar to the condition in the extant genus Liphistius Schiødte, 1849. Given that the single extant mesothele family, Liphistiidae, is predicted to have radiated ca. 39–58 million years ago, the occurrence of somewhat modern-looking male pedipalp spination in older fossil mesotheles is of considerable interest. The new specimen also shows spinnerets in a relatively posterior position, although variability observed in extant species suggests that this trait may be of limited systematic value. Of particular note is the presence of a large and well-dev...

Expansion of the pseudoscorpion subfamily Lamprochernetinae with the addition of some Australasian taxa (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae)

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Expansion of the pseudoscorpion subfamily Lamprochernetinae with the addition of some Australasian taxa (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae)

Abstract

The pseudoscorpion subfamily Lamprochernetinae has traditionally comprised taxa from Palaearctic biomes but also includes species from the Asian, Australian and African tropics. Recent research has expanded the taxonomic breadth of the group by including additional taxa from the Indo-Malayan and Australasian regions. Newly examined specimens of the genera Hebridochernes Beier, 1940, Reischekia Beier, 1948 and Smeringochernes Beier, 1957 reveal that their affinities also lie with the Lamprochernetinae, rather than with Chernetinae. Likewise, the female genital system of Cacoxylus Beier, 1965 demonstrates that it too is a lamprochernetine. Species of Hebridochernes and Smeringochernes possess an enlarged retrolateral condyle on the chelal hand which articulates with a bulbous swelling on the basal region of the movable finger, especially in males. The first detailed illustrations and scanning electron micrographs of this mechanism are provided. Comparisons of various species of both genera show that the characters traditionally used to define them, and the subgenus Smeringochernes (Gressittochernes) Beier, 1957, are not reliable. Therefore, Smeringochernes Beier, 1957 and Smeringochernes (Gressittochernes) Beier, 1957 are newly regarded as junior synonyms of Hebridochernes Beier, 1940, which results in the following new combinations: H. aequatorialis (Daday, 1897), comb. nov., H. carolinensis (Beier, 1957), comb. nov., H. greensladeae (Beier, 1966), comb. nov., H. guamensis (Beier, 1957), comb. nov., H. monstruosus Beier, 1966, comb. nov., H. navigator (Chamberlin, 1938), comb. nov., H. novaeguineae (Beier, 1965), comb. nov., H. pauperculus (Beier, 1970), comb. nov., H. plurisetosus (Beier, 1966), comb. nov., H. salomonensis (Beier, 1964), comb. nov., H. yapensis (Beier, 1957), comb. nov., and H. zealandicus (Beier, 1976), comb. nov. Hebridochernes salomonensis Beier, 1966, is found to be a junior secondary homonym of Smeringochernes (Smeringochernes) salomonensis Beier, 1964, and is provided with a new replacement name, H. manticulatus nom. nov. Four new species of Hebridochernes are described: H. grimshawae sp. nov., H. pacatus sp. nov., H. waterhouseae sp. nov. from tropical Australia, and H. browni sp. nov. from southern Papua New Guinea. Hebridochernes aequatorialis is redescribed based on specimens collected near the type locality in Papua New Guinea. The first Australian species of Reischekia Beier, 1948 and Verrucachernes Chamberlin, 1947, are described from north Queensland (R. nielseni sp. nov.) and the Northern Territory (V. karenae sp. nov.). The three described species of Hebridochernes from New Caledonia lack the diagnostic features of that genus or of the Lamprochernetinae and are transferred to a new genus of Chernetinae, Trichernes gen. nov., forming the new combinations, T. caledonicus (Beier, 1964), T. gressitti (Beier, 1964) (type species) and T. maximus (Beier, 1979).

Harvey MS (2025). Expansion of the pseudoscorpion subfamily Lamprochernetinae with the addition of some Australasian taxa (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae). Australian Journal of Taxonomy 91: 1–35. doi: https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt.ky9w8