Phylogenetics of the polymorphic spider genus Cybaeolus and comments on the phylogeny of the family Araneae (Arachnidae)
abstract
Spider genus endemic to Chile and Argentina Cybaeolus Simon, 1884 revised to include three species: Cybaeolus delfini (Simon, 1904), Cybaeolus pusillus Simon, 1884, and Cybaeolus rastellus (Roth, 1967). The genus Clitistes Simon, 1902 is synonymous with Cybaeolus and its type species Clitistes velutinus Simon, 1902 is synonymous with Cybaeolus pusillus. We provide a phylogenetic analysis of Cybaeolus and Hahniidae and outgroup representatives using molecular markers. Because Cybaeolus is nested within Hahniinae, it is synonymous with the subfamily Cybaeolinae Lehtinen (1967) and Hahniinae Bertkau (1878), using the features of male palps and rotators to form the latest addition to the subfamily Hahniinae. Provides diagnosis. We trace the evolution of the characteristic lateral arrangement of spinnerets in Thisridae. Our results indicate that the presence of grouped spinnerets and numerous piriform plugs in Cybaeolus is a reversion to the ancestral state seen in the outgroup. The palpable morphology of males of Cylindae suggests that the posterolateral epiphysis of the male tibia is a functional conductor of intermittent organs during copulation. We document color polymorphism in three species of Cybaeolus. This is independent of geographic location or time of collection, with similar morphology occurring in both sexes of different species.
