A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders

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  A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders Abstract A new species of wolf spider, Zoica veloxilla sp. nov., from Sumatra (Indonesia) is described based on both sexes. Lysania pygmaea Thorell, 1890 is recorded from Sumatra for the first time, and its male is illustrated and redescribed. A distribution map for Zoica and Lysania is provided. The problem of miniaturization in wolf spiders is briefly discussed. Based on an analysis of the literature, 32 minute species of wolf spiders in four subfamilies and eleven genera have been reported. The smallest wolf spider known worldwide seems to be Zoica minuta (McKay, 1979) from Australia. Omelko, M.M. & Fomichev, A.A. (2026) A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders. Zootaxa, 5869 (2), 339–350. https://doi.o...

Molecular phylogenetics of nursery web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae)

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Molecular phylogenetics of nursery web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae)

Abstract

Pisauridae Simon, 1890, or nursery web spiders, are a large family with a worldwide distribution and very diverse life history strategies. Despite being named for their nursery webs, similar structures are built by members of Ctenidae, Trechaleidae, and Oxyopidae. Pisauridae has no known morphological synapomorphies that circumscribe all members of the family, and delineation of subfamilies has been a longstanding issue. In addition, several recent molecular phylogenetic studies have called into question the monophyly of Pisauridae. Here, we infer a phylogeny of Pisauridae with nine genetic markers (12S, 16S, 18S, 28S, actin, COI, histone H3, ITS2, and NADH) combined with ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to test the monophyly of the group and determine intrafamilial relationships. Our study includes a total of 81 terminals (59 of them pisaurids). Our maximum likelihood and gene coalescence analyses strongly suggest that as currently circumscribed, the family Pisauridae is not monophyletic. To circumscribe Pisauridae as a monophyletic group, based on our molecular results, we propose the restoration of the family Dolomedidae Simon, 1876 (rank resurrected) to include the genera Dolomedes Latreille, 1804 and Bradystichus Simon, 1884. In addition, based on morphological evidence, we also place in Dolomedidae the genera Megadolomedes Davies & Raven, 1980; Tasmomedes Raven, 2018; Mangromedes Raven, 2018; Ornodolomedes Raven & Hebron, 2018; and Caledomedes Raven & Hebron, 2018. We provide a phylogenetic delimitation of the three subfamilies of Pisauridae: Halinae, Thaumasiinae, and Pisaurinae. Ten pisaurid genera are deemed incertae sedis in terms of their placement. In light of our hypothesized molecular phylogeny, we discuss the morphological characters and putative synapomorphies of Pisauridae and propose diagnostic characters for its subfamilies and for the family Dolomedidae, along with taxonomic notes about genera not included in our study.
Morris, S. A., Hazzi, N. A., & Hormiga, G. (2024). Molecular phylogenetics of nursery web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 108247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108247