Redescription of Misumenoides athleticus comb . nov . ( Araneae : Thomisidae ) , wrongly assigned to the philodromid genus Petrichus

Petrichus athleticus Mello-Leitao, 1944 was described from Punta Piedras, Argentina, based on male and female specimens. The species was originally wrongly assigned to Petrichus Simon, 1886 because it has the cephalic region more elevated than the carapace region. However, examination of the holotype has revealed the presence of lateral eye tubercles, and legs I and II longer and stouter than legs III and IV. These characteristics are considered synapomorphic for the Thomisidae. Furthermore, the presence of an epigynal hood (type "hood pocket"), RTA long with simple base and modified apex, absence of tutaculum, and short setae on the surface of the carapace and abdomen corroborate that P. athleticus belongs to Misumenoides F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1900. In this paper, we assign P. athleticus to Misumenoides, redescribe the species, illustrate it for the first time, and extend its known distribution.

Petrichus Simon, 1886 was originally placed in Thomisidae, in Philodrominae (SIMON 1886).It was considered an "intermediate group" between the Philodrominae and the Thomisinae until the Philodrominae was given family status (HOMANN 1975).
Petrichus athleticus Mello-Leitão, 1944 was described from Punta Piedras, Argentina, based on male and female specimens.MELLO-LEITÃO (1944) characterized it by the following characters: cephalic region more elevated than the carapace region; anterior row of eyes strongly recurved, posterior row of eyes little recurved; legs II and IV sub equal, leg formula 2-4-1-3 with poorly developed scopula and claw tufts.The examination of the type of P. athleticus revealed the presence of tubercles on the lateral eyes, and legs I and II longer and stouter than legs III and IV, characteristics considered synapomorphic for the Thomisidae (BENJAMIN 2011).
The assignment of P. athleticus in Misumenini sensu LEHTINEN ( 2005) is based on the presence of an epigynal hood and the absence of modifications on the carapace and abdomen (e.g., lateral eye tubercles not shaped as a horn, and carapace and abdomen lacking tubercles).
The allocation of P. athleticus in Misumenoides F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1900 is proposed after comparing the characteristics of the species with the diagnostic traits of the Neotropical genera currently classified in Minimenini sensu LEHTINEN (2005).We decided that P. athleticus does not belong in any of the genera listed below for the following reasons: 1) Erissoides Mello-Leitão, 1929.In P. athleticus, the tarsi, the metatarsi and the tibial apex are not dark, and the epyginal hood does not form a wide arc; 2) Misumena Latreille, 1804.In our species, the apex of the embolus is not screwed, nor the epyginal hood is narrow; 3) Misumenops F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1900.In P. athleticus,a small tutaculum is not found; 4) Runcinioides Mello-Leitão, 1929.Our species does not have long and strong setae on the carapace and abdomen, and the tutaculum and tutacular groove along tegular margin (LEHTINEN & MARUSIK 2008); and 5) Urarachne Keyserling, 1880.The abdomen of P. athleticus is not elongated.
Petrichus athleticus has a long RTA with simple base and modified apex in ITA, and RTA fused, as in the diagnosis of Misumenoides (LEHTINEN 2005).At first analysis, the assignment of P. athleticus to Misumenoides may be incongruent because of the presence of a transversal carina on the ocular area of the former.According to LEHTINEN (2005), species of Misumenoides have a chalk-white transversal carina on the ocular area.However, the study of some species of Misumenoides showed that there may be a transversal white stripe on the ocular area that lack such carina (e.g., Misumenoides eximius Mello-Leitão, 1938, M. carminatus Mello-Leitão, 1941, M. variegatus Mello-Leitão, 1941, M. gerchmani Mello-Leitão, 1944e M. proseni Mello-Leitão, 1944).For this reason, we assign Petrichus athleticus to Misumenoides.We also redescribe the species, illustrate it for the first time, and provide records that extend its known distribution.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Type-specimens are deposited in the collection of the Museo de La Plata (MLP, L.A. Pereira), and other specimens are available at the collection of Museu de Ciências Naturais da Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul (MCN, E.H. Buckup).The description format and morphological terminology were adapted from BONALDO & LISE (2001), LEHTINEN (2005) and LISE (2005).Annotations about the male copulatory organ are made from the left palp and use the clock hours to express the disposition of some structures, as in LEHTINEN & MARUSIK (2008).The measurements are in millimeters and the used abbreviations for eyes and legs are standard in Arachnology.Specimens were illustrated with Adobe ® Illustrator CS5 and Photoshop CS5.