Systematic revision of the Savignia genus group (Araneae: Linyphiidae: Erigoninae) with notes on their cephalic lobe evolution

Posted by
  Systematic revision of the Savignia genus group (Araneae: Linyphiidae: Erigoninae) with notes on their cephalic lobe evolution Abstract The Savignia genus group includes nine morphologically complex yet similar genera where species were assigned based mainly on the cephalic lobes. Among these genera, males of Diplocephalus Bertkau, 1883, Savignia Blackwall, 1833 and Araeoncus Simon, 1884 show some of the most extraordinary cephalic lobes among dwarf spiders (Linyphiidae, Erigoninae). In this study we undertake the first phylogenetic analysis of the Savignia genus group. We use 269 morphological characters (175 newly defined) and 70 taxa (59 ingroup taxa) to reconstruct the relationships and evolutionary trends of cephalic lobes in this lineage. Our findings show that cephalic lobes with varying shapes and sizes appear in several Savignia genus group lineages, highlighting that it is not a good diagnostic character. The high support in several clades allows the redefinition of t...

Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Plato Coddington, 1986 (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae) with the description of three new species

Posted by

 


Taxonomic revision of the spider genus Plato Coddington, 1986 (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae) with the description of three new species

Abstract


The genus Plato Coddington, 1986 is revised and now contains twelve Neotropical species. The male of Plato bicolor (Keyserling, 1886) is described for the first time from the state of Amazonas in Brazil. Three new species are described: Plato omnipraesens n. sp. (♂ ♀) from Brazil and Peru, Plato peruana n. sp. (♀) from Peru and Plato hamatus n. sp. (♂ ♀) from Minas Gerais in Brazil. A new diagnosis is proposed for the females of this genus. Morphological structures and genitalic terminology are discussed. Plato species are described, diagnosed, illustrated, and their geographic distribution is mapped.


Prete, P. H. & Brescovit, A. D. (2024). Taxonomic revision of the orb weaving spider genus Plato Coddington, 1986 (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae) with the description of three new species. Zootaxa 5471(1): 1-32. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5471.1.1