Phylogenetic placement and revision of the tropical Asian crab spider genus Pagida (Araneae : Thomisidae)

Abstract

The tropical Asian crab spider genus Pagida Simon, 1895 has remained taxonomically unrevised and has never been subjected to phylogenetic evaluation. The present study is designed to investigate the monophyly of the genus, its placement within Thomisidae and review all species. Our cladistic analysis, based on 78 morphological characters from 34 taxa (30 ingroup and four outgroup), demonstrates the monophyly of the genus and shows that Pagida is sister to Stiphropus Gerstäcker, 1873 within Thomisidae. The monophyly of Pagida and Pagida + Stiphropus is well supported. Pagida salticiformis (O. P.-Cambridge, 1883), the type species of Pagida, is redescribed from a series of specimens collected recently from its type locality, Sri Lanka. Pagida pseudorchestes is redescribed based on nine males and seven females. A new species, Pagida minuta, sp. nov., is described, based on four males and one female.