A NEW SPECIES OF THOMISID SPIDER (ARANEAE, THOMISIDAE) FROM THE SOCIETY ISLANDS WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE OF MISUMENOPS MELLOLE1TAOI

摘要

This study revises the status of crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) endemic to the Society Islands, a volcanic archipelago situated in the southern Pacific Ocean. Only one species, Misumenops melloleitaoi Berland 1934, known from a single female and immature, was previously recorded from Tahiti (the largest island of the Society archipelago). Field surveys (1999-2003) and examination of material in natural history collections show that thomisid spiders occur in four islands of the Society archipelagoand are recognized as two endemic species. Misumenops temihana is described as new from the islands of Raiatea and Huahine. This paper further presents the first description of the male of M. melloleitaoi Berland 1934, and extends the range of this species to include multiple localities on the islands of Tahiti and Moorea. Misumenops melloleitaoi can be easily distinguished from M. temihana by the presence of two short black lines on the ventral surface of femur and patella I and II which are lacking in M. temihana.