Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

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  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

Between cloud forests and museums: testing tarantula (Araneae: Theraphosidae) generic boundaries reveals a new montane genus from Ecuador and Colombia

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Between cloud forests and museums: testing tarantula (Araneae: Theraphosidae) generic boundaries reveals a new montane genus from Ecuador and Colombia

Abstract

This study presents the first comprehensive morphology-based phylogenetic analysis encompassing all described species of Cymbiapophysa Gabriel and Sherwood, 2020. We provide an updated and refined phylogenetic hypothesis that resolves relationships among closely related taxa and supports the recognition of a new theraphosid clade. Preliminary analysis of this clade suggests that unconventional characters of the male palpal bulb may have untapped potential for generic-level differentiation within Theraphosidae. Further, the recovered topologies support the recognition of a new genus, Tandayarachne gen. nov. The new genus is composed of a new species from the Tandayapa Cloud Forest Station, Western Ecuador, and a previously misplaced species of Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 from Colombia. Notably, the paratype female of the latter species is reassigned to Neischnocolus and proposed here as a new species based on distinct spermathecal morphology. Integrating our phylogenetic hypothesis with character optimization and ancestral character state reconstruction, we identify evolutionary trends in keel-nested characters, further providing support for genera delimitation on the studied clade. We discuss the current impediments facing the taxonomy of the subfamily Theraphosinae, with a specific focus on the underestimation of proper morphological analysis of the palpal bulbs in taxonomic assessments. Finally, we discuss the geographical distribution of the new genus and propose plausible scenarios to explain its disjunct distribution.


Pedro Peñaherrera-R., Juan M Guayasamin, Between cloud forests and museums: testing tarantula (Araneae: Theraphosidae) generic boundaries reveals a new montane genus from Ecuador and Colombia, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 205, Issue 3, November 2025, zlaf152, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf152