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Article: A new species of thomisid spider (Araneae, Thomisidae) from the society islands with a description of the male of Misumenops melloleitaoi.
- Article from:
- Journal of Arachnology
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 American Arachnological Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT. 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 archipelago and 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 ...