Luis N. Piacentini

The spider tree of life: phylogeny of Araneae based on target‐gene analyses from an extensive taxon sampling

We present a phylogenetic analysis of spiders using a dataset of 932 spider species, representing 115 families (only the family Synaphridae is unrepresented), 700 known genera, and additional representatives of 26 unidentified or undescribed genera. Eleven genera of the orders Amblypygi, Palpigradi, Schizomida and Uropygi are included as outgroups. The dataset includes six markers from the mitochondrial (12S, 16S, COI) and nuclear (histone H3, 18S, 28S) genomes, and was analysed by multiple methods, including constrained analyses using a highly supported backbone tree from transcriptomic data. We recover most of the higher‐level structure of the spider tree with good support, including Mesothelae, Opisthothelae, Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae. Several of our analyses recover Hypochilidae and Filistatidae as sister groups, as suggested by previous transcriptomic analyses. The Synspermiata are robustly supported, and the families Trogloraptoridae and Caponiidae are found as sister to the Dysderoidea. Our results support the Lost Tracheae clade, including Pholcidae, Tetrablemmidae, Diguetidae, Plectreuridae and the family Pacullidae (restored status) separate from Tetrablemmidae. The Scytodoidea include Ochyroceratidae along with Sicariidae, Scytodidae, Drymusidae and Periegopidae; our results are inconclusive about the separation of these last two families. We did not recover monophyletic Austrochiloidea and Leptonetidae, but our data suggest that both groups are more closely related to the Cylindrical Gland Spigot clade rather than to Synspermiata. Palpimanoidea is not recovered by our analyses, but also not strongly contradicted. We find support for Entelegynae and Oecobioidea (Oecobiidae plus Hersiliidae), and ambiguous placement of cribellate orb‐weavers, compatible with their non‐monophyly. Nicodamoidea (Nicodamidae plus Megadictynidae) and Araneoidea composition and relationships are consistent with recent analyses. We did not obtain resolution for the titanoecoids (Titanoecidae and Phyxelididae), but the Retrolateral Tibial Apophysis clade is well supported. Penestomidae, and probably Homalonychidae, are part of Zodarioidea, although the latter family was set apart by recent transcriptomic analyses. Our data support a large group that we call the marronoid clade (including the families Amaurobiidae, Desidae, Dictynidae, Hahniidae, Stiphidiidae, Agelenidae and Toxopidae). The circumscription of most marronoid families is redefined here. Amaurobiidae include the Amaurobiinae and provisionally Macrobuninae. We transfer Malenellinae (Malenella, from Anyphaenidae), Chummidae (Chumma) (new syn.) and Tasmarubriinae (Tasmarubrius, Tasmabrochus and Teeatta, from Amphinectidae) to Macrobuninae. Cybaeidae are redefined to include Calymmaria, Cryphoeca, Ethobuella and Willisius (transferred from Hahniidae), and Blabomma and Yorima (transferred from Dictynidae). Cycloctenidae are redefined to include Orepukia (transferred from Agelenidae) and Pakeha and Paravoca (transferred from Amaurobiidae). Desidae are redefined to include five subfamilies: Amphinectinae, with Amphinecta, Mamoea, Maniho, Paramamoea and Rangitata (transferred from Amphinectidae); Ischaleinae, with Bakala and Manjala (transferred from Amaurobiidae) and Ischalea (transferred from Stiphidiidae); Metaltellinae, with Austmusia, Buyina, Calacadia, Cunnawarra, Jalkaraburra, Keera, Magua, Metaltella, Penaoola and Quemusia; Porteriinae (new rank), with Baiami, Cambridgea, Corasoides and Nanocambridgea (transferred from Stiphidiidae); and Desinae, with Desis, and provisionally Poaka (transferred from Amaurobiidae) and Barahna (transferred from Stiphidiidae). Argyroneta is transferred from Cybaeidae to Dictynidae. Cicurina is transferred from Dictynidae to Hahniidae. The genera Neoramia (from Agelenidae) and Aorangia, Marplesia and Neolana (from Amphinectidae) are transferred to Stiphidiidae. The family Toxopidae (restored status) includes two subfamilies: Myroinae, with Gasparia, Gohia, Hulua, Neomyro, Myro, Ommatauxesis and Otagoa (transferred from Desidae); and Toxopinae, with Midgee and Jamara, formerly Midgeeinae, new syn. (transferred from Amaurobiidae) and Hapona, Laestrygones, Lamina, Toxops and Toxopsoides (transferred from Desidae). We obtain a monophyletic Oval Calamistrum clade and Dionycha; Sparassidae, however, are not dionychans, but probably the sister group of those two clades. The composition of the Oval Calamistrum clade is confirmed (including Zoropsidae, Udubidae, Ctenidae, Oxyopidae, Senoculidae, Pisauridae, Trechaleidae, Lycosidae, Psechridae and Thomisidae), affirming previous findings on the uncertain relationships of the “ctenids” Ancylometes and Cupiennius, although a core group of Ctenidae are well supported. Our data were ambiguous as to the monophyly of Oxyopidae. In Dionycha, we found a first split of core Prodidomidae, excluding the Australian Molycriinae, which fall distantly from core prodidomids, among gnaphosoids. The rest of the dionychans form two main groups, Dionycha part A and part B. The former includes much of the Oblique Median Tapetum clade (Trochanteriidae, Gnaphosidae, Gallieniellidae, Phrurolithidae, Trachelidae, Gnaphosidae, Ammoxenidae, Lamponidae and the Molycriinae), and also Anyphaenidae and Clubionidae. Orthobula is transferred from Phrurolithidae to Trachelidae. Our data did not allow for complete resolution for the gnaphosoid families. Dionycha part B includes the families Salticidae, Eutichuridae, Miturgidae, Philodromidae, Viridasiidae, Selenopidae, Corinnidae and Xenoctenidae (new fam., including Xenoctenus, Paravulsor and Odo, transferred from Miturgidae, as well as Incasoctenus from Ctenidae). We confirm the inclusion of Zora (formerly Zoridae) within Miturgidae.

The enigmatic Otway odd-clawed spider (Progradungula otwayensis Milledge, 1997, Gradungulidae, Araneae): Natural history, first description of the female and micro-computed tomography of the male palpal organ

Abstract The recently described cribellate gradungulid Progradungula otwayensis Milledge, 1997 is endemic to the Great Otway National Park (Victoria, Australia) and known from only one male and a few juvenile specimens. In a recent survey we recorded 47 specimens at several localities across the western part of the Great Otway National park. Our field data suggest that this species is dependant on the microclimate in the hollows of old myrtle beech trees since other hollow trees were very much less inhabited. Furthermore, we describe the female for the first time and study the male palpal organ by using X-ray microtomography. The female genitalia are characterized by eight spermathecae which are grouped in two quartets. The spermophor resembles the general organization of gradungulids, but is similar to Kaiya Gray, 1987 by a convoluted appearance within the embolus. The muscle 30 is located in the cymbium and resembles the organization of other non-entelegyne Araneomorphae.

Taxonomic Review of the Goblin Spiders of the Genus Dysderoides Fage and Their Himalayan Relatives of the Genera Trilacuna Tong and Li and Himalayana, New Genus (Araneae: Oonopidae)

ABSTRACT The study of many museum specimens of goblin spiders from the Himalayan range and neighboring countries allows for the description of new taxa of the family Oonopidae. The genus Dysderoides Fage is taxonomically reviewed. It comprises small, blind, loricate troglobitic spiders: the type species (D. typhlos Fage, from India) and at least five new species from northern India (D. synrang Grismado and Deeleman) and Thailand (D. muang Grismado and Deeleman, D. kaew Grismado and Deeleman, D. kanoi Grismado and Deeleman, and D. lawa Grismado and Deeleman). The genus Trilacuna, previously known from China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sumatra, is newly diagnosed by the loss of the furrow connecting the posterior spiracles in males, and is represented in the Himalayan region by seven species: T. aenobarba (Brignoli), from Bhutan (here transferred from Epectris Simon), and six new: four from northern India (T. meghalaya Grismado and Piacentini, T. besucheti Grismado and Piacentini, T. mahanadi Grismado and Piacentini, and T. loebli Grismado and Piacentini), one from India and Nepal (T. bangla Grismado and Ramírez), and one from Pakistan (T. hazara Grismado and Ramírez). The new genus Himalayana Grismado comprises species very similar to those of Trilacuna, but differs in the characters of the postepigastric scuta and by having an additional acute dorso-prolateral projection on the male palpi. Six new species are assigned to Himalayana: H. kathmandu Grismado (type species), H. castanopsis Grismado, H. parbat Grismado, and H. martensi Grismado (all from Nepal); and H. siliwalae Grismado and H. andreae Grismado (from India). The study of the internal female genitalia of T. meghalaya and T. bangla revealed a complex copulatory system, and an entelegyne condition, apparently uniform for the entire genus and probably for Dysderoides and Himalayana as well. The males of the three genera have a complex set of paraembolic laminae with brushes of filiform structures, among which discharges a gland through a thin, tortuous cuticular tube. The genitalic and somatic morphology of the three genera suggest that they conform a monophyletic group, here named “Dysderoides complex,” and that their closer relatives can be found among Prethopalpus Baehr et al., and other genera related to Silhouettella Benoit. The loss of the membranous diagonal area on the base of the anterior lateral spinnerets is proposed as a synapomorphy of an advanced group of loricatae oonopids usually referred as gamasomorphines. Furthermore Triaeris glenniei Fage, described from a single female from a cave in Uttarakhand, is redescribed and transferred to Camptoscaphiella Caporiacco.

Systematics of Cauquenia (Araneae : Zoropsidae), with comments on the patterns of evolution of cribellum and male tibial crack on Lycosoidea

Abstract. A new genus of the spider family Zoropsidae, Cauquenia, gen. nov., is proposed for Cauquenia maule, sp. nov., from the Maule region in central Chile. The familial placement is tested through the inclusion of Cauquenia in the latest major published morphological analyses of the superfamily Lycosoidea, and the subfamily placement of the South American zoropsid genus Itatiaya Mello-Leitão is also tested including them in the Raven and Stumkat (2005) analysis. Cauquenia and Itatiaya are closely related to the African genera Griswoldia Dippenaar-Schoeman & Jocqué and Phanotea Simon, with which it shares a cup-shaped median apophysis on the male pedipalp and tooth-like projections on the lateral lobes of the epigyne in females. The patterns of evolution of the cribellum and the male tibial crack in Lycosoidea are explored; the cribellum shows up as primitively present, with three losses and four independent acquisitions, and the male tibial crack is lost twice. An asymmetric cost in cribellum gain : loss of 6 : 1 produces a primitive cribellum with 12 losses.

An Update of the Goblin Spider Genus Birabenella Grismado, 2010 (Araneae: Oonopidae), with the Description of Three New Species

ABSTRACT The taxonomy of the poorly known South American goblin spider genus Birabenella Grismado (Araneae: Oonopidae) is updated in light of recently collected material. Three new species are described: B. kamanchaca, from northern Chile, B. portai, from northwestern Argentina, and B. chincha, from southern Peru, where the genus is reported for the first time. The diagnosis of the genus is updated; the presence of the ventral digitiform projection on the male copulatory bulb in the three newly described species supports this character as a putative synapomorphy for the genus. Additionally, all species in this genus possess unipectinate tarsal claws. Preliminary observations indicate that there is some degree of variability in tarsal organ morphology.

A new orb-weaving spider from the Argentinean flooding pampas grasses: Aculepeira morenoae new species (Araneae, Araneidae)

A new species of the orb-weaving spider genus Aculepeira Chamberling & Ivie 1942, A. morenoae new species, is described and illustrated based on male and female specimens from the Argentinean natural flooding pampas grasses.