Revision and cladistic analysis of the spider family Hersiliidae (Arachnida, Araneae) with emphasis on Neotropical and Nearctic species

Abstract

Hersiliidae Thorell is a family of conspicuously long-legged spiders, characterized by extremely elongate posterior lateral spinnerets. To date, it includes 148 species distributed within seven genera, of which Tama Simon is the only one recorded in the Neotropical Region. Of the 23 known Tama species, 18 are exclusively Neotropical. In order to enhance the scientific knowledge on the family and its members this study presents a cladistic analysis and a taxonomic revision of the Neotropical and Nearctic hersilids. The cladistic analysis places the Neotropical and Neartic species in two separate clades, none of which are closely related to the genus Tama. Based on this result, Tama mexicana (O.P.-Cambridge) and T. forcipata (F.O.P.-Cambridge) are transferred to Neotama and three new genera are proposed to include the remaining species: Ypypuera n. gen. to include T. crucifera Vellard and T. vittata (Simon); Iviraiva n. gen. to include T. pachyura Mello-Leitão and T. argentina Mello-Leitão; and Yabisi n. gen to include T. habanensis Franganillo. Based on the taxonomic revision, eight synonymies are proposed: Tama crulsi Mello-Leitão, Tama micrura Mello-Leitão and T. occidentalis Schenkel with Ypypuera crucifera (Vellard); T. brasiliensis Piza and T. karinae Carcavallo with I. pachyura (Mello-Leitão); T. catamarcaensis Carcavallo and T. longipes Carcavallo with I. argentina (Mello-Leitão); and T. guianensis Mello-Leitão with Neotama mexicana (O.P.-Cambridge); three names are placed as nomina dubia: Tama americana (Simon), T. albigastra Mello-Leitão and T. sasaimae Mello-Leitão and four new species are described: Neotama cunhabebe, from São Paulo, Brazil, Neotama obatala, from Bahia, Brazil, Ypypuera esquisita, from Quevedo, Ecuador, and Yabisi guaba, from Pedernales, Dominican Republic. The family Hersiliidae, the genus Neotama and all three new genera, as well as all Neotropical and Nearctic species are redescribed and diagnosed and a identification key is presented.

Arachnids from Araripe Plateau, Ceará, Brazil

“…Among the arachnids collected, 22 species were identified, most of them widespread in the region (e.g., Ypypuera crucifera (Vellard, 1924), Neoxyphinus termitophilus (Bristowe, 1938), Architis tenuis Simon, 1898, Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1877); Rheims and Brescovit, 2004;Santos 2007b;De Souza et al 2009;Abrahim et al 2012). Some of the collected species are commonly observed in synanthropic environments, such as Scytodes eleonorae Rheims & Brescovit, 2001, Loxosceles amazonica Gertsch, 1967 and Argiope argentata (Fabricius, 1775) (Lucas et al 1986;Rheims and Brescovit 2001;Levi 2004).…”

“…All standardized samplings followed usual arachnid sampling methods, as described in Carvalho (2015). The species were identified using keys for spiders (Levi 1968(Levi , 1991(Levi , 1997(Levi , 2004Corronca 1998;Bonaldo 2000;Brescovit and Rheims 2000;Rheims and Brescovit 2004;Santos 2007b;Abrahim et al 2012), scorpions (Lourenço 2002;De Souza et al 2009) andharvestmen (Pinto-daRocha 1997) The species list herein also includes information gathered from previous publications on arachnids of the Araripe plateau: Bonaldo and Brescovit (1998), Corronca (1998), Lourenço (2010Lourenço ( , 2014, Lourenço et al (2013), Maury (1982), Rheims and Brescovit (2004), Ruiz (2013) and Huber et al (2014).…”

“…The arachnid fauna of the area has been the focus of only a few published papers, mainly consisting of the description of fossil (i.e., Campos 1986;De Carvalho and Lourenço 2001;Selden et al 2006) or living taxa (i.e., Bonaldo and Brescovit 1998;Corronca 1998;Rheims and Brescovit 2004;Lourenço 2010Lourenço , 2014Ruiz 2013;Huber et al 2014). None of these publications directly dealt with the Araripe Plateau arachnid fauna, but focused on taxonomic issues rather than providing species lists.…”

Description of the male of Yabisi guaba (Araneae: Eresoidea: Hersiliidae)

“…Although quite diverse in most zoogeographical regions, few species occur in the New World. In a revision of the Neotropical and Nearctic species, RHEIMS & BRESCOVIT (2004) included only eleven species in four genera. These are Iviraiva Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with two species, Neotama Baehr & Baehr, 1993, with four, Yabisi Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with two and Ypypuera Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with three (PLATNICK 2014.…”

“…In a revision of the Neotropical and Nearctic species, RHEIMS & BRESCOVIT (2004) included only eleven species in four genera. These are Iviraiva Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with two species, Neotama Baehr & Baehr, 1993, with four, Yabisi Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with two and Ypypuera Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, with three (PLATNICK 2014. Despite the large quantities of material examined by RHEIMS & BRESCOVIT (2004), three species, Neotama forcipata (F. O.P.-Cambridge, 1902), Ypypuera esquisita Rheims & Brescovit, 2004 and Yabisi guaba Rheims & Brescovit, 2004, remain known solely from one sex.…”