The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

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  The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber Abstract A new specimen of the fossil spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Araneae: Mesothelae) is described from the mid-Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Like the original holotype, the new specimen is a mature male, which clearly preserves a series of tibial macrospines, similar to the condition in the extant genus Liphistius Schiødte, 1849. Given that the single extant mesothele family, Liphistiidae, is predicted to have radiated ca. 39–58 million years ago, the occurrence of somewhat modern-looking male pedipalp spination in older fossil mesotheles is of considerable interest. The new specimen also shows spinnerets in a relatively posterior position, although variability observed in extant species suggests that this trait may be of limited systematic value. Of particular note is the presence of a large and well-dev...

The complete mitochondrial genome of Erigone atra Blackwall, 1833 (Araneae, Linyphiidae)

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The complete mitochondrial genome of Erigone atra Blackwall, 1833 (Araneae, Linyphiidae)

Abstract

The mitochondrial genome of Erigone atra Blackwell, Citation1833 has been completely sequenced and annotated for the first time. This species is found primarily in the continental north-temperate zone and has also been reported from the Galapagos Islands where it is likely an adventive species. For two specimens collected in the Czech Republic, DNA was extracted using a Qiagen DNEasy Blood and Tissue kit, then sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 for 250 bp paired-end reads. Contigs were assembled in SPAdes and a rough draft mitogenome extracted from the resulting contigs that was used as the seed for de novo assembly using GetOrganelle. The mitogenome was annotated using MITOS2 and by comparing to other species in the order Araneae. The male mitogenome is 14,251 bp and the female’s is14,504 bp, including 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a control region. Results of phylogenetic analysis confirm this species as sister to species in the family Araneidae, and this species and the araneids as sister to the RTA clade. These are the first sequenced and completely annotated mitogenomes for this species and the family Linyphiidae.

Patrick, L. B., & Santos, S. R. (2025). The complete mitochondrial genome of Erigone atra Blackwall, 1833 (Araneae, Linyphiidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 10(12), 1243–1248. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2025.2594297