We address the phylogenetic relationships of pimoid spiders (Pimoidae) using a standard target-gene approach with an extensive taxonomic sample, which includes representatives of the four currently recognized pimoid genera, 26 linyphiid genera, a sample of Physoglenidae, Cyatholipidae and one Tetragnathidae species. We test the monophyly of Pimoidae and Linyphiidae and explore the biogeographic history of the group. Nanoa Hormiga, Buckle and Scharff, 2005 and Pimoa Chamberlin & Ivie, 1943 form a clade which is the sister group of a lineage that includes all Linyphiidae, Weintrauboa Hormiga, 2003 and Putaoa Hormiga and Tu, 2008. Weintrauboa, Putaoa, Pecado and Stemonyphantes form a clade (Stemonyphantinae) sister to all remaining linyphiids. We use the resulting optimal molecular phylogenetic tree to assess hypotheses on the male palp sclerite homologies of pimoids and linyphiids. Pimoidae is redelimited to only include Pimoa and Nanoa. We formalize the transfer from Pimoidae of the genera Weintrauboa and Putaoa to Linyphiidae, re-circumscribe the linyphiid subfamily Stemonyphantinae, and offer revised morphological diagnoses for Pimoidae and Linyphiidae.
A check list of the Araneae type specimens deposited in the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, is given, including also all the type specimens of species described by Mello-Leitão without a clear repository. From a total of 923 type lots (which comprises 813 valid species names) cited in the list, 667 are available, 239 were not located (76 of them with uncertain repositories) and 17 are lost. The spelling of Olios hieroglyphicus Mello-Leitão, 1919 is fixed by action of first reviser. Based on the comparison of these type specimens, the following taxonomic changes are proposed on this paper: Actinopodidae: Actinopus ceciliae Mello-Leitão, 1931c = A. crassipes (Keyserling, 1891) n. syn.; Theraphosidae: Cyclosternum melloleitaoi Bücherl, Timotheo da Costa & Lucas, 1971 = Hapalopus nondescriptus Mello-Leitão, 1926b n. syn.; Anyphaenidae: Aysha garruchos Brescovit, 1992 = Aysha caxambuensis (Mello-Leitão, 1926a) (originally described as Teudis c.) n. syn., n. comb.; Sillus spinifrons Mello-Leitão, 1926a = Patrera longipes (Keyserling, 1891) n. syn.; Araneidae: Wagneriana janeiro Levi, 1991 = Wagneriana dimastophora (Mello-Leitão, 1940g) (originally described as Verrucosa d.) n. syn., n. comb.; Pholcidae: Pholcophora juruensis Mello-Leitão, 1922c = Physocyclus globosus (Taczanowski, 1874) n. syn.
The Mounded Posterior Median Eyes (MPME) clade is a group of linyphiid spiders characterized by having posterior median eyes (PME) on a mound. The species diversity of this lineage, especially in the Neotropical region, is still largely unknown. In this study, we tackled one of the MPME groups, the genus Diplothyron Millidge, 1991. We have studied numerous specimens from both museums and freshly collected specimens to monograph Diplothyron. We also compiled both morphological and behavioral data from Diplothyron and representatives of higher-level lineages within Linyphiidae and several potential MPME groups to infer the phylogenetic relationships. We redescribed the type species, Diplothyron fuscus Millidge, 1991 and described the previously unknown male, and six new species: Diplothyron ballesterosi sp. nov., D. dianae sp. nov., D. monteverde sp. nov., D. nubilosus sp. nov., D. sandrae sp. nov. and D. solitarius sp. nov. We also transferred the following species from Linyphia to Diplothyron based on the study of the type material: D. chiapasia (Gertsch & Davies, 1946) comb. nov., D. linguatulus (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) comb. nov., D. nigritus (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) comb. nov., D. simplicatus (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) comb. nov. and D. trifalcatus (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902) comb. nov. Diplothyron species are mainly found in the cloud forests of Central and South America, with the distribution stretching from the Colombian Andes to the Mexican Sierra Madre across the Central American mountain chains. We also provide a detailed morphological comparison between Diplothyron and closely related genera in the MPME clade, focusing on the genital morphology, including identification keys to both the MPME genera and species of Diplothyron. Our cladistic analyses recovered Diplothyron as a monophyletic group placed within the MPME clade. A newly circumscribed lineage now includes the genera Diplothyron, Dubiaranea Mello-Leitão, 1943; Linyphia Latreille, 1804; Lomaita Bryant, 1948; Microlinyphia Gerhardt, 1928; Neriene Blackwall, 1833; Notiohyphantes Millidge, 1985; Novafrontina Millidge, 1991 and Pityohyphantes Simon, 1929.
We have revised the linyphiid genera Jalapyphantes and Selenyphantes. Jalapyphantes now includes five species, one of them new (J. tricolor sp. nov.). Selenyphantes now consists of six species of which five are new (S. costaricensis sp. nov., S. gaimani sp. nov., S. iztactepetl sp. nov., S. orizabae sp. nov. and S. volcanicus sp. nov.). To infer the phylogenetic position of Jalapyphantes and Selenyphantes, we analysed nucleotide sequence data from five markers (16S,18S, 28S, COI and histone H3) combined with morphological and behavioural data. Both genera are monophyletic and sister to each other. Both Jalapyphantes and Selenyphantes are included within the newly circumscribed Pocobletus clade, which includes all known species of Pocobletus plus several undescribed species. Pocobletus has nomenclatural priority over the junior synonyms Exechopsis, Exocora and Graphomoa.
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