Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider

Posted by
  Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider ABSTRACT Sex differences in behavior and functional traits are often attributed to differences in mating effort intensity, but the role of sex-specific parental demands remains poorly understood. Using the jumping spider Toxeus maxillosus —where males engage in mate searching and courtship without providing parental care, while females provide extended maternal care from egg attendance to offspring maturity (around 3 months)—we conducted an exploratory investigation into whether these distinct selective pressures led to divergence in spatial behaviors and nest architecture. Results revealed that males and females showed equivalent accuracy, latency, and learning-related performance in both a route-planning test under water stress and a color-pattern associative memory task. In contrast, during nest-construction assays, females built complex, multi-entrance structures that closely matched the container'...

Biogeography of the widespread Aotearoa New Zealand mite harvester genus Rakaia (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) based on UCE-derived subgenomic data

Posted by

 


Biogeography of the widespread Aotearoa New Zealand mite harvester genus Rakaia (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) based on UCE-derived subgenomic data

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to a remarkable number of endemic taxa, some of which have existed on the archipelago since before the breakup of Gondwana. The mite harvesters (suborder Cyphophthalmi), tiny non-spider arachnids that dwell in forest leaf litter and caves, are one such group. The mite harvester family Pettalidae Shear exhibits a classic Gondwanan distribution with notable diversity in Aotearoa, which is home to three pettalid genera. Our research focuses on the evolution of the most widespread and speciose Aotearoa pettalid genus, Rakaia Hirst, 1926. Through phylogenetic analysis, we provide a window into patterns of ancient diversification and infer historical biogeographic trends. We generated subgenomic data through target enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) using an Arachnida-specific probe set; the 50% and 75% taxon-occupancy matrix retrieved 848 and 585 loci, respectively. In addition to generating the first fully resolved phylogeny of Rakaia, we performed a molecular clock analysis and tested for shifts in diversification rates in order to explore the effect of geological events such as the Oligocene Drowning, the uplift of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, and forest habitat contraction and fragmentation during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Alafranji, Z. R., Morisawa, R., Aspholm, P. L., Fu, P. A., W. Moyes, N. H., A. Heine, H. L., Hejmadi, S. R., Derkarabetian, S., & Boyer, S. L. (2026). Biogeography of the widespread Aotearoa New Zealand mite harvester genus Rakaia (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) based on UCE-derived subgenomic data. Systematic Entomology, 51(1), e70021. https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.70021