From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon

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  From Taxonomic Accuracy to Toxin Naming: A Welcome Dialogue in Toxicon By Luis A. Roque | Arácnido Taxonomy When I submitted my correspondence, “When tarantula venom comes from a misnamed spider: The importance of taxonomic accuracy in theraphosid toxinology,” to Toxicon , I hoped it would encourage a broader conversation. The purpose was to draw attention to a problem that benefits from the experience of people working across taxonomy, venom research, and biological databases. Dr. Volker Herzig’s response, “The need for a unified toxin nomenclature for consistent toxin naming,” is precisely the kind of engagement I hoped to see. His contribution acknowledges the importance of identifying venom-source organisms accurately while bringing another essential question into focus: How do we maintain continuity in toxin names when taxonomy and our understanding of toxin function change? Two connected challenges My original correspondence focused on the biological source of venom. In t...

Tempo and mode of diversification of the red devil spiders (Araneae: Dysderidae) of the Canary Islands

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Tempo and mode of diversification of the red devil spiders (Araneae: Dysderidae) of the Canary Islands

   Abstract

The study of adaptive radiations has shed light on our current understanding of evolution. However, previous studies examining the mode in which species diversified, how diversification rates varied, and how ecological specialization affected these processes have found few different results across different taxa and geographic and ecological systems, showing how complex this process is. To gain a more complete picture of how species evolve, additional model systems that encompass alternative ecological requirements are needed. Here, we present the results of a study aimed to unravel the diversification mode and evolutionary drivers of the spider genus Dysdera, the red devil spiders, endemic to the Canary Islands. These species exhibit remarkable phenotypic variability in their mouthparts, which has been related to different levels of specialization in the predation of isopods. We explored patterns of linage diversification and assessed the role of trophic specialization as a driver of species diversification. Additionally, we used climatic variables, occurrence data and morphological information to unravel the underlying mode of speciation by means of joint species distribution models and age-range correlation methods. Our results reveal that red devil spiders underwent an early burst of diversification, followed by a slowdown of diversification rates, which is a hallmark of adaptive radiation. We also found evidence that the trophic morphology shaped diversification, with specialist species exhibiting higher rates of diversification. Finally, our analyses suggest that speciation occurred mostly in allopatry, with subsequent secondary sympatry following range expansion.

Tempo and mode of diversification of the red devil spiders (Araneae: Dysderidae) of the Canary Islands
Adria Bellvert, Laura Pollock, Antigoni Kaliontzopoulou, Miquel A. Arnedo
bioRxiv 2024.07.09.601672; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.07.09.601672