Out of the twilight zone: phylogeny and evolutionary morphology of the orb-weaving spider family Mysmenidae, with a focus on spinneret spigot morphology in symphytognathoids (Araneae, Araneoidea)
Author
Lopardo, Lara
Author
Hormiga, Gustavo
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2015
2015-02-16
173
3
527
786
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12199
journal article
123829
10.1111/zoj.12199
02f79ff2-493a-449e-8206-5662abfa5c52
0024-4082
5331625
GENUS
CRASSIGNATHA
WUNDERLICH 1995
Crassignatha
Wunderlich, 1995: 546
.
Type
species by original designation and monotypy:
Crassignatha haeneli
Wunderlich 1995: 547
(
type
and only specimen not examined, scored from literature).
Miller
et al
. 2009: 68
(transfer from
Mysmenidae
to
Symphytognathidae
).
Familial placement:
Symphytognathidae
. The placement of this genus within
Symphytognathidae
was recently proposed by
Miller
et al
. (2009)
based exclusively on morphological comparative observations (as here, the type species was also not examined). This placement is corroborated by the results of our phylogenetic analysis.
Crassignatha
nested within
Symphytognathidae
as sister to a distal clade comprising three undetermined symphytognathid species (SYMP-002- MAD, SYMP-006-
AUST
, and SYMP-007-
AUST
). The type species of
Crassignatha
,
Crassignatha haeneli
, is known only from a male specimen (
holotype
), has none of the synapomorphic features of
Mysmenidae
, and consequently its placement in a different family is hardly surprising. It differs from
Mysmenidae
in the absence of femoral spots, absence of tibial or metatarsal clasping spines on leg I, prolateral (instead of ventral) cymbium, absence of cymbial structures (e.g. primary conductor, process, and paracymbium), absence of pars pendula, and presence of median apophysis. In addition,
Crassignatha
shares with
Symphytognathidae
the loss of the anterior median eyes, promarginal cheliceral teeth originating from a common base or raised plate, and loss of the colulus. It also shares with several symphytognathids in this data set a clasping spine located ventrally on tibia II and the absence of palpal patellar or tibial apophyses.