The Limits and Phylogeny of the Araneoidea (Arachnida, Araneae)

The Limits and Phylogeny of the Araneoidea (Arachnida, Araneae) PDF Author: Karin Schütt
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ISBN:
Category : Spiders
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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The Limits and Phylogeny of the Araneoidea (Arachnida, Araneae)

The Limits and Phylogeny of the Araneoidea (Arachnida, Araneae) PDF Author: Karin Schütt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Spiders
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level

The spider family Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneoidea): a relimitation and revision at the generic level PDF Author: Mihael G. Rix
Publisher: PenSoft Publishers LTD
ISBN: 9546425311
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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The Micropholcommatidae are a family of tiny, distinctive araneoid spiders, known from southern-temperate habitats throughout Australasia and Chile. The greatest abundance of individuals and the largest diversity of taxa occur in the cool-temperate rainforests of south-eastern Australia and New Zealand, where micropholcommatid spiders can be very common within moss and leaf litter microhabitats. Although poorly studied biologically and largely neglected taxonomically, the Micropholcommatidae are a diverse lineage, with a significantÿ The monograph in this volume presents a complete generic-level revision of the spider family Micropholcommatidae. The phylogenetic position and internal phylogeny of the family are tested with two separate morphological cladistic analyses, the results of which inform a comprehensive generic-level classification. In total, 26 new species, 12 new genera, one new tribe and two new subfamilies are described, taking the total documented micropholcommatid fauna to 58 species. The distribution and Gondwanan biogeography of the family are also discussed, and natural history information is provided where known. Most importantly, the results of this paper present a taxonomic framework and a phylogenetic foundation for all future research on the Micropholcommatidae; a template by which new species can be described and existing species can be identified, and a valuable dataset for exploring phylogenetic hypotheses.

Evolution of Archaeid and Mecysmaucheniid Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae)

Evolution of Archaeid and Mecysmaucheniid Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) PDF Author: Hannah Marie Wood
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 91

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The limits of the superfamily Palpimanoidea, as well as the phylogenetic placement of archaeid and mecysmaucheniid spiders within the Araneomorphae, are unresolved. Furthermore, the relationships between the extant and extinct archaeid taxa is also debated and unresolved. This study focuses on these issues by creating a phylogeny from molecular and morphological data and addresses three features of archaeid and mecysmaucheniid evolution: (1) inclusion of several lineages of fossil archaeids clarifies relationships between extant and extinct archaeids and helps explain the disjunct distribution whereby fossils are known only from the northern hemisphere while extant taxa are restricted to the southern hemisphere; (2) the placement of archaeids and mecysmaucheniids within the Araneomorphae; (3) the limits of the superfamily Palpimanoidea and its placement within the Araneomorphae. In addition, the timing of deep diversification within the Araneomorphae is estimated by enforcing a molecular clock that includes the archaeid fossil taxa as noncontemporaneous tips. These temporal estimations are used to examine biogeographic patterns of congruence with continental break-up. Total evidence analysis supports the monophyly of a redefined Palpimanoidea, which includes the archaeids and mecysmaucheniids. This study finds Palpimanoidea to be sister to the Entelegynae and to be an ancient group, with diversification occurring in the Permian. Furthermore, the split between the northern and southern archaeid fauna and the diversification of the southern archaeid clades was likely due to the vicariant events caused by the break-up of Pangaea and Gondwana. Further study of archaeid spiders offers the possibility to better understand speciation patterns in a group of taxa that have low dispersal abilities and that likely have been on Madagascar since Pangean times. To examine speciation patterns in a lineage that likely did not disperse to Madagascar, the current study sets out to (1) create a phylogeny of archaeid spiders that thoroughly samples Madagascan lineages; (2) calibrate this phylogeny using fossil and geological data and determine the timing of splitting events between the different Gondwana fragments; (3) examine lineage through time plots to determine diversification patterns. In addition, the "neck" trait is treated as a continuous character and its evolution is examined. This study shows that archaeid biogeography patterns are likely explained by vicariance due to Gondwanan break up. The lineage through time plots reveal that the Madagascan archaeids have not experienced increases or decreases in the rate of diversification, meaning a constant rate of lineage accumulation cannot be rejected. Furthermore, the evolution of the "neck" best fits the Brownian motion model, implying that evolution of "neck" length is a product of genetic drift. For archaeid lineages that have been on Madagascar since pre-isolation times gradual accumulation appears to be the rule. Next, the current study focuses on the trap-jaw in mecysmaucheniid spiders in order to address how it has become modified over the evolutionary history of the lineage. Evolution, function, and morphology of the trap-jaw are examined among different lineages of mecysmaucheniids to assess the extent of conservatism versus plasticity in the trait. This study involves molecular phylogenetic analyses, detailed morphological analysis of jaw structure, and high-speed video recording to assess the variability and evolution of the trap-jaw. Results indicate that there is a large degree of variation in jaw function spanning two orders of magnitude. Within mecysmaucheniids, rapid-inertia-based mechanisms have evolved in parallel 3-4 times. Examination of trap-jaw morphology reveals that each rapid-inertia-based mechanism is unique with different morphologies. The trap-jaw movements in some mecysmaucheniid lineages may be among the fastest animal movements known, with the fastest species attaining jaw-closing speeds of greater than 25 meters/second in less than one tenth of a millisecond.

Taxonomy and Systematics of the Australian Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida

Taxonomy and Systematics of the Australian Micropholcommatidae (Arachnida PDF Author: Michael G. Rix
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Arachnida
Languages : en
Pages :

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[Truncated abstract] The southern-temperate spider family Micropholcommatidae is a poorly-studied taxon of uncertain limits and uncertain affinities. Since the first Australian species were described in the early twentieth century, and the family was erected in 1944, the taxonomic status and phylogenetic placement of the Micropholcommatidae have been the subject of ongoing debate. Various phylogenetic hypotheses have been proposed for the family, but these hypotheses have never been tested with a robust phylogenetic analysis a problem compounded by the inadequate state and confusing history of micropholcommatid taxonomy. To address the many gaps in our understanding of micropholcommatid interrelationships, this thesis will present a comprehensive systematic treatment of the family. Using a combination of molecular phylogenetic, morphological cladistic and taxonomic methods, micropholcommatid diversity is documented and tested at multiple systematic levels, with an alpha-taxonomic and biogeographic focus on the diverse Australian fauna. The taxonomic contribution is substantial throughout, with one new family, two new subfamilies, one new tribe, 14 new genera and 37 new species described. A combined molecular phylogenetic study is presented in Chapter 2, as a 'first pass' exploration of the monophyly, limits and phylogenetic position of the family Micropholcommatidae. The analyses incorporated 50 ingroup spider species, including 23 micropholcommatid taxa, with nucleotide sequences obtained from two nuclear ribosomal RNA genes (18S and 28S). ...The new subfamily Gigiellinae is also described for two enigmatic species in the newly-described genus Gigiella, known only from the temperate Nothofagus rainforests of south-eastern Australia and southern Chile. As a final contribution to micropholcommatid taxonomy, and as an extension to the cladistic analyses presented in Chapter 5, the new spider family Teutoniellidae is proposed in Chapter 6 for three genera from South America, South Africa and Australia. Teutoniellid monophyly is evidenced by at least two unambiguous synapomorphies, and the morphology of the family is described in relation to other symphytognathidan and EbCY spider taxa. The nominate genus Teutoniella is redescribed to include three species from South America, along with an additional new species from Tasmania. Two new teutoniellid genera are also described, each for a single new species from South Africa: Inflaticrus ansieae is described from the Langeberg Range, east of Cape Town; and Woldius hennigi is described from near Pietermaritzburg, north-west of Durban. In summary, this thesis provides a taxonomic and phylogenetic framework for all future research on micropholcommatid spiders. It presents new data on the phylogeny, phylogenetic position, composition, biogeography, molecular evolution and natural history of a previously poorly-known group of spiders, and highlights a number of remaining gaps in our knowledge of micropholcommatid and araneoid systematics. As a novel contribution to scholarship, this thesis synthesises taxonomic and phylogenetic hypotheses at multiple systematic levels, and tests those hypotheses with original, combined datasets.

The velvet spiders: an atlas of the Eresidae (Arachnida, Araneae)

The velvet spiders: an atlas of the Eresidae (Arachnida, Araneae) PDF Author: Jeremy A. Miller
Publisher: PenSoft Publishers LTD
ISBN: 9546426385
Category : Velvet spiders
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
The name velvet spider describes the dark and shiny appearance of members of the family Eresidae. Some species also have brightly-colored highlights, such as the red, white, and black ladybird spiders of Europe and North Asia. This family also includes some of the world?s most cooperative spider species. Social species can be very abundant in parts of tropical Africa and Asia with conspicuous colonies dotting the landscape. Social colonies may consist of hundreds of closely-related individuals that participate in dramatic mass attacks on prey and care for their young. The ecology of these social species is fascinating and has been the subject of several landmark scientific papers. By contrast, most kinds of velvet spider are rarely encountered. Most species keep well hidden or dig burrows and live underground. This monograph provides a generic-level review of Eresidae documented with collections of photographs, scanning electron micrographs, and illustrations. A key to the nine genera and other major lineages is provided. A new phylogeny of Eresidae based on molecular sequence data expands on a previously published analysis. Cybertaxonomic enhancements include an interactive map of the specimens used in the study explorable using Google Earth, specimen records uploaded to GBIF, and molecular sequence alignments and other data archived on Dryad. An EDIT Integrated Research grant provided principal funding for this project.

Phylogeny of pirate spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Mimetidae) with reference to the Australasian fauna

Phylogeny of pirate spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Mimetidae) with reference to the Australasian fauna PDF Author: Danilo Harms
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : de
Pages : 0

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Australian Assassins, Part II: A review of the new assassin spider genus Zephyrarchaea (Araneae, Archaeidae) from southern Australia

Australian Assassins, Part II: A review of the new assassin spider genus Zephyrarchaea (Araneae, Archaeidae) from southern Australia PDF Author: Michael G. Rix
Publisher: PenSoft Publishers LTD
ISBN: 9546426377
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 68

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ÿThe Assassin Spiders of the family Archaeidae from southern Australia are revised, with a new genus (Zephyrarchaea gen. n.) and nine new species described from temperate, mesic habitats in southern Victoria, South Australia and south-western West-ern Australia: Z. austini sp. n., Z. barrettae sp. n., Z. grayi sp. n., Z. janineae sp. n., Z. marae sp. n., Z. marki sp. n., Z. melindae sp. n., Z. porchi sp. n. and Z. vichickmani sp. n. Specimens of the type species, Z. mainae (Platnick, 1991), comb. n., are re-described from the Albany region of Western Australia, along with the holotype female of Z. robinsi (Harvey, 2002) comb. scribed species Archaea hickmani Butler, 1929 from Victoria is here recognised as a nomen dubium. A key to species and multi-locus molecular phylogeny complement the species-level taxonomy, with maps, habitat photos, natural history information and conservation assessments provided for all species.

Phylogeny of Pirate Spiders (Arachnida

Phylogeny of Pirate Spiders (Arachnida PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 594

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Investigations Into the Phylogeny of the Licosoid Spiders and Their Kin (Arachnida: Araneae: Lycosoidea)

Investigations Into the Phylogeny of the Licosoid Spiders and Their Kin (Arachnida: Araneae: Lycosoidea) PDF Author: Charles E. Griswold
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 39

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Spider Research in the 21st Century

Spider Research in the 21st Century PDF Author: David Penney
Publisher:
ISBN: 0957453019
Category : Spiders
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
The result is a great increase in multi-disciplinary research and novel avenues incorporating spiders as model organisms.