WO. Lucky Strike Cave, Te Kuiti, on wall near entrance, 14 Feb 1959, K. A. J. Wise (MONZ).

WO. 2 males, Waitomo Valley, in stream crevice outside cave entrance (shady), specimens intertwined and sluggish, 30 Mar 1959, L. G. Watson (MONZ); 1 male, Weir Cave, Stubbs Farm, Waitomo, ca. 2 m from cave entrance within a 15 cm radius of Arachnocampa luminosa larvae, 23 Aug 2010, A. Probert (NZAC).

From the Latin bonus, good, in contrast to the related Forsteropsalis fabulosa.

Total body length 4.8–6.6; prosoma length 2.5–2.8, width 4.0–4.2. Prosoma (including ocularium) unarmed (Fig. 1A); ground colour in alcohol orange-brown with longitudinal yellow stripes on either side of ocularium (live coloration very dark brown [almost black] with orange-yellow stripes; appendages also black). Ozopores elongate, with small flanking lobes. Opisthosoma grey-yellow. Mouthparts cream-coloured; medial side of pedipalpal coxa with dense array of sharp denticles; cervix unarmed. Coxae yellow. Chelicerae (Fig. 1B): Segment I length 6.2–8.4; segment II 9.4–10.4. Elongate; segment I orange with lighter yellow patch at distal end, segment II dark orange-brown. Segment I denticulate, with denticles concentrated along dorsal, proventral and retroventral margins. Segment II massively inflated, evenly denticulate. Cheliceral fingers elongate, widely bowed apart; setae present on distal half of mobile finger. Pedipalps: Femur length 5.4–5.7; patella 2.2–2.4; tibia 2.8–3.1; tarsus 5.8–6.5. Distinctly elongate, yellow. Femur dorsally denticulate on proximal two-thirds; remainder of pedipalp unarmed. Setae sparse except for small concentration at prodistal end of patella; microtrichia present on tarsus and distal half of tibia; prodorsal end of patella with distinct protrusion but without definite finger-like apophysis (Fig. 1C). Tarsal claw without ventral tooth-row. Legs: Legs I femur length 8.6–9.9, patella 1.9–2.5, tibia 8.3–9.8; leg II femur 14.3–17.2, patella 2.2–2.8, tibia 14.4–17.8; leg III femur 7.5–8.7, patella 1.7–2.3, tibia 5.3–8.2; leg IV femur 8.5–10.7, patella 1.8–2.7, tibia 10.2–10.8. Femora sparsely denticulate, particularly in proximal half; remainder of legs unarmed. Distitarsus I with strong ventral tooth at distal end of each of first five or six pseudosegments (Fig. 1D). Tibia II with nine to fifteen pseudosegments; tibia IV with two pseudosegments. Penis (Fig. 1E–F): Shaft subquadrate; tendon long. Bristle groups relatively long, posterior bristle group with longest bristles reaching dorsal margin in lateral view. Glans short, subtriangular in ventral view, narrowing rapidly in lateral view.

Females of this species are currently unknown. Forsteropsalis bona can be distinguished from most other Forsteropsalis species by its unarmed prosoma and enormous, sub-globose cheliceral segment II with widely bowed cheliceral fingers (Taylor 2011). In these features it strongly resembles Forsteropsalis fabulosa, and would key out to either Forsteropsalis fabulosa or Forsteropsalis tumida in the key to Forsteropsalis species provided by Taylor (2011). These two species are synonymised below. Forsteropsalis bona can be distinguished from Forsteropsalis fabulosa by the form of the pedipalpal patella: Forsteropsalis fabulosa has a distinct finger-like prodistal apophysis on the patella (Phillipps and Grimmett 1932: Fig. C p. 732), while the patellar apophysis is almost absent in Forsteropsalis bona (Fig. 1C). Forsteropsalis fabulosa also has denticles both dorsally and ventrally on the pedipalpal femur, while Forsteropsalis bona has denticles dorsally only.

An interesting feature of Forsteropsalis bona is the presence of a strong ventrodistal tooth on the end of each of the proximal pseudosegments of the distitarsus. This tooth sits between the two spinose setae generally present on each tarsal pseudosegment in all Enantiobuninae (Fig. 1D). Such a feature has not previously been recorded for this subfamily, though it is also present in Forsteropsalis fabulosa (specimens from MONZ, details given in Taylor 2011). This may represent a distinct synapomorphy of these two species.

The glans of both Forsteropsalis fabulosa (Taylor 2011) and Forsteropsalis bona is relatively short compared to other Forsteropsalis species, and converges in shape on that of the Australian genus Megalopsalis (Taylor 2011, 2013). Nevertheless, the remaining features of these two species support a direct relationship with other New Zealand species of Pantopsalis and Forsteropsalis, and with Forsteropsalis in particular. These features include dorsal papillae on the glans (Taylor 2011), setae on the mobile finger of the chelicera (absent in Megalopsalis except Megalopsalis caeruleomontium; Taylor 2011, 2013), and an array of denticles on the medial side of the pedipalpal coxa (Fig. 3A; Taylor 2011).

Forsteropsalis fabulosa and Forsteropsalis tumida were distinguished in Taylor (2011) solely by the degree of dilation of the second cheliceral segment, with the latter supposedly more inflated in Forsteropsalis tumida than in Forsteropsalis fabulosa. A number of species of Forsteropsalis and its sister genus Pantopsalis are now known to vary in cheliceral dilation (Taylor 2004, 2011, 2013, and see Forsteropsalis photophaga below). Forsteropsalis fabulosa and Forsteropsalis tumida were both described from the Wellington district, and there seems to no longer be any justification for separating them as different species. Forsteropsalis tumida is therefore regarded herein as a junior synonym of Forsteropsalis fabulosa (syn. n.).

WO. Waitomo, Gardners Gut Cave System, 200 yards from Zweihöllen entrance, 25 June 1977, W. L. Blundell (MONZ).

WO. 1 male, Giants Cavern, Hollow Hill Cave, Te Kuiti, in ‘Crows Nest’, 60–70 ft high, 12 January 1958, coll. R. W. Taylor (MONZ); 1 male, Aussie Cave, Taumatamaire Rd, Waitomo County, 50 ft, 16 May 1966, K. A. J. Wise (MONZ); 2 males, Stubbs Farm, Waitomo, on rocky cave substrate, February 2013, G. Holwell et al. (NZAC); 2 males, Mangapohue Cave, Stubbs Farm, Waitomo, on rocky cave substrate, 21 Oct 2013, A. Probert & D. Townsend (NZAC).

From the Greek phos, light, and phagein, to eat, in reference to this species’ predation of the glow-worm Arachnocampa luminosa.

Total body length 3.5–6.1; prosoma length 1.9–2.1, width 2.5–3.9. Prosoma (including ocularium) unarmed except for few black setae (Fig. 2A); ground colour orange-brown with longitudinal yellow stripes on either side of ocularium (live colouration light to mid-brown with pale yellow stripes). Ozopores elongate, with small flanking lobes. Opisthosoma grey-brown. Mouthparts cream-coloured; medial side of pedipalpal coxa with array of sharp denticles; cervix with single pair of denticles laterally. Coxa I orange; remaining coxae and venter of opisthosoma yellow. Chelicerae (Fig. 2B, D): Segment I length 3.4–6.5, segment II 4.9–9.1. Elongate; orange except for lighter yellow patch at distal end of first segment. First segment dorsally with scattered denticles, becoming more elongate retrolaterally, ventrally with longitudinal prolateral and retrolateral rows of elongate denticles and some scattered median denticles proximally. Second segment mildly to notably inflated, sub-conical, evenly denticulate with longitudinal rows of more elongate denticles dorsally and retrolaterally. Cheliceral fingers elongate, slightly bowed apart; setae present along central third of mobile finger. Pedipalps: Femur length 4.6–6.5, patella 2.8–3.2, tibia 2.2–2.8, tarsus 4.8–5.7. Distinctly elongate; yellow. Median side of coxa with array of sharp denticles. Femur with few denticles dorsally in proximal half; remainder of pedipalp unarmed. Patella, tibia and proximal half of tarsus densely covered with plumose setae; microtrichia present over entirety of patella, tibia and tarsus; patella with small, rounded, prodistal apophysis (Fig. 2C). Tarsal claw without ventral tooth-row. Legs: Leg I femur length 8.1–11.0, patella 1.9–2.2, tibia 8.4–10.7; leg II femur 14.0–17.7, patella 1.9–2.5, tibia 16.0–19.0; leg III femur 7.1–9.4, patella 1.6–1.9, tibia 7.6–9.8; leg IV femur 9.0–12.2, patella 1.8–2.2, tibia 10.3–12.4. Yellow. Proximal half of femur I with few scattered dorsal denticles; remainder of legs unarmed. Tibia II with 12 pseudosegments; tibia IV with three pseudosegments. Penis (Fig. 2E–F): Shaft subquadrate; tendon long. Bristle groups relatively long, posterior bristle group with longest bristles reaching dorsal margin in lateral view. Glans relatively long, subrectangular in ventral view, remaining relatively deep to distal end but with dorsodistal end rounded.

Females of this species are currently unknown. The holotype of Forsteropsalis photophaga when first examined had a parasitic mite attached to the opisthosoma (Fig. 2A). This mite is a representative of the Microtrombidiidae, a family that has not previously been recorded as parasitic on Opiliones; a more detailed description is currently being prepared by C. Taylor.

The genera Pantopsalis and Forsteropsalis have hitherto been regarded as well distinguished by the morphology of the cheliceral fingers (crescent-shaped in Pantopsalis vs bowed in Forsteropsalis), pedipalpal patellar apophysis (hypersetose and rounded in Pantopsalis, sparsely setose and triangular in Forsteropsalis) and penile bristle groups (shorter in Pantopsalis than in Forsteropsalis) (Taylor 2004, 2011). The current species blurs this distinction: in its hypersetose and rounded pedipalpal apophysis it resembles Pantopsalis, but its elongate cheliceral fingers and penile bristle groups are more characteristic of Forsteropsalis. It also possesses an array of denticles on the medial side of the pedipalpal coxa as found in Forsteropsalis species (Fig. 3A; Taylor 2011). We therefore assign it to the latter genus herein. A hypersetose, rounded patella is also present in the female of Forsteropsalis grimmetti, though the male of that species possesses a more typical Forsteropsalis-type patella (Taylor 2011). It is possible that the hypersetose patella is in fact a symplesiomorphy of Pantopsalis and Forsteropsalis, with Forsteropsalis photophaga being a basal member of the latter genus.

Forsteropsalis photophaga can be readily distinguished from all other Neopilionidae in New Zealand by the hypertrophied denticle rows on the second cheliceral segment. The only other neopilionid with comparable chelicerae is the major male of the Tasmanian species Megalopsalis nigricans (Hickman 1957). This, however, is a much smaller species, with very different genital morphology and with small ozopores unlike those of any Forsteropsalis species (Hickman 1957, Taylor 2013).