Phylogeny of the orb-web building spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae: Deinopoidea, Araneoidea)

Abstract This phylogenetic analysis of 31 exemplar taxa treats the 12 families of Araneoidea (Anapidae, Araneidae, Cyatholipidae, Linyphiidae, Mysmenidae, Nesticidae, Pimoidae, Symphytognathidae, Synotaxidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiidae, and Theridiosomatidae). The data set comprises 93 characters: 23 from male genitalia, 3 from female genitalia, 18 from cephalothorax morphology, 6 from abdomen morphology, 14 from limb morphology, 15 from the spinnerets, and 14 from web architecture and other behaviour. Criteria for tree choice were minimum length parsimony and parsimony under implied weights. The outgroup for Araneoidea is Deinopoidea (Deinopidae and Uloboridae). The preferred shortest tree specifies the relationships ((Uloboridae, Deinopidae) (Araneidae (Tetragnathidae ((Theridiosomatidae (Mysmenidae (Symphytognathidae, Anapidae))) ((Linyphiidae, Pimoidae) ((Theridiidae, Nesticidae) (Cyatholipidae, Synotaxidae))))))). The monophyly of Tetragnathidae (including metines and nephilines), the symphytognathoids, theridiid-nesticid lineage, and Synotaxidae are confirmed. Cyatholipidae are sister to Synotaxidae, not closely related to either the Araneidae or Linyphiidae, as previously suggested. Four new clades are proposed: the cyatholipoids (Cyatholipidae plus Synotaxidae), the «spineless femur clade» (theridioid lineage plus cyatholipoids), the «araneoid sheet web builders» (linyphioids plus the spineless femur clade), and the «reduced piriform clade» (symphytognathoids plus araneoid sheet web builders). The results imply a coherent scenario for web evolution in which the monophyletic orb gives rise to the monophyletic araneoid sheet, which in turn gives rise to the gumfoot web of the theridiid-nesticid lineage. While the spinning complement of single pairs of glands does not change much over the evolution of the group, multiple sets of glands are dramatically reduced in number, implying that derived araneoids are incapable of spinning many silk fibers at the same time.

[1]  J. Coddington,et al.  A phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae) , 1997 .

[2]  David P. Mindell,et al.  MacClade: Analysis of Phylogeny and Character Evolution. Version 3.0 Wayne P. Maddison David R. Maddison , 1994 .

[3]  G. Hormiga.  A Revision and Cladistic Analysis of the Spider Family Pimoidae (Araneoidea: Araneae) , 1994 .

[4]  G. Hormiga.  Cladistics and the comparative morphology of linyphiid spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Linyphiidae) , 1994 .

[5]  B. Huber.  Genital mechanics and sexual selection in the spider Nesticus cellulanus (Araneae: Nesticidae) , 1993 .

[6]  P. Goloboff.  ESTIMATING CHARACTER WEIGHTS DURING TREE SEARCH , 1993, Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society.

[7]  G. Parker,et al.  Sexual dimorphism and distorted sex ratios in spiders , 1992, Nature.

[8]  D. L. Hauser,et al.  THE EFFECT OF ORDERED CHARACTERS ON PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRUCTION , 1991, Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society.

[9]  G. D. Bernard,et al.  INSECT ATTRACTION TO ULTRAVIOLET-REFLECTING SPIDER WEBS AND WEB DECORATIONS' , 1990 .

[10]  J. Carpenter.  Choosing Among Multiple Equally Parsimonious Cladograms , 1988, Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society.

[11]  J. Farris.  The Hermeneutical Arc , 1988 .

[12]  C. Griswold.  A review of the southern African spiders of the family Cyatholipidae Simon, 1894 (Araneae: Araneomorphae) , 1987 .

[13]  R. Foelix,et al.  The biology of spiders. , 1987 .

[14]  C. Craig,et al.  The ecological and evolutionary interdependence between web architecture and web silk spun by orb web weaving spiders , 1987 .

[15]  C. Craig,et al.  The Significance of Spider Size to the Diversification of Spider-Web Architectures and Spider Reproductive Modes , 1987, The American Naturalist.

[16]  J. Coddington.  ORB WEBS IN “NON‐ORB WEAVING” OGRE‐FACED SPIDERS (ARANEAE: DINOPIDAE): A QUESTION OF GENEALOGY , 1986, Cladistics : the international journal of the Willi Hennig Society.

[17]  C. Griswold.  Isela okuncana, a new genus and species of kleptoparasitic spider from southern Africa (Araneae: Mysmenidae) , 1985 .

[18]  W. Eberhard,et al.  BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERS FOR THE HIGHER CLASSIFICATION OF ORB‐WEAVING SPIDERS , 1982, Evolution; international journal of organic evolution.

[19]  W. Eberhard.  ‘Rectangular orb’ webs of Synotaxus (Araneae: Theridiidae) , 1977 .

[20]  E. Kullmann.  The Convergent Development of Orb-webs in Cribellate and Ecribellate Spiders , 1972 .

[21]  J. Farris.  A Successive Approximations Approach to Character Weighting , 1969 .

[22]  M. H. Robinson.  Predatory Behavior of Argiope argentata (Fabricius) , 1969 .

[23]  H. W. Levi,et al.  The Spider Genus Synotaxus (Araneae: Theridiidae) , 1965 .

[24]  J. Rempel,et al.  THE STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND POSTEMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE MALE AND FEMALE COPULATORY ORGANS OF THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER LATRODECTUS CURACAVIENSIS (MÜLLER) , 1962 .

[25]  H. W. Levi.  Evolutionary trends in the development of palpal sclerites in the spider family theridiidae , 1961 .

[26]  O. Kraus.  Spinnen aus El Salvador (Arachnoidea, Araneae) , 1955 .

[27]  H. M. Peters.  Über den Spinnapparat von Nephila madagascariensis (Radnetzspinnen, Fam. Argiopidae) , 1955 .

[28]  K. Sekiguchi.  On a New Spinning Gland Found in Geometric Spiders and its Functions , 1952 .

[29]  J. Coddington,et al.  Web-construction Behaviour in Australian Phonognatha and the Phylogeny of Nephiline and Tetragnathid Spiders (Araneae : Tetragnathidae) , 1995 .

[30]  J. Coddington.  The Roles of Homology and Convergence in Studies of Adaptation , 1994 .

[31]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the pirate spiders (Aranae, Mimetidae) of Chile. , 1993 .

[32]  C. Griswold.  Investigations into the phylogeny of the Lycosoid spiders and their kin (Arachnida: Araneae, Lycosoidea) , 1993 .

[33]  N. Platnick,et al.  Spinneret Morphology and the Phylogeny of Haplogyne Spiders (Araneae, Araneomorphae) , 1991 .

[34]  H. W. Levi,et al.  Systematics and Evolution of Spiders (Araneae) , 1991 .

[35]  J. Coddington.  Cladistics and Spider Classification: Araneomorph Phylogeny and the Monophyly of Orbweavers (Araneae: Araneomorphae, Orbiculariae) , 1991 .

[36]  N. Platnick,et al.  A proposal and review of the spider family Synotaxidae (Araneae, Araneoidea) : with notes on theridiid interrelationships. Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 193 , 1990 .

[37]  J. Coddington.  Ontogeny and Homology in the Male Palpus of Orb Weaving Spiders and their Relatives, with Comments on Phylogeny (Araneoclada: Araneoidea, Deinopoidea) , 1990 .

[38]  C. Griswold.  A revision and phylogenetic analysis of the spider subfamily Phyxelidinae (Araneae, Amaurobiidae). Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 196 , 1990 .

[39]  J. Coddington,et al.  Ontogenetic Changes in the Spinning Fields of Nuctenea Cornuta and Neoscona Theisi (Araneae, Araneidae) , 1990 .

[40]  N. Platnick.  Advances in spider taxonomy 1981-1987. , 1989 .

[41]  H. M. Peters,et al.  Die Herstellung der Eierkokons bei der Spinne Polenecia producta (SIMON, 1873) in Beziehung zu den Leistungen des Spinnapparates , 1989 .

[42]  N. Platnick,et al.  A revision of the temperate South American and Australasian spiders of the family Anapidae (Araneae, Araneoidea). Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 190 , 1989 .

[43]  J. Coddington.  Spinneret Silk Spigot Morphology: Evidence for the Monophyly of Orbweaving Spiders, Cyrtophorinae (Araneidae), and the Group Theridiidae Plus Nesticidae , 1989 .

[44]  Liangwan. Cai.  Spinnenfauna Gestern und Heute: Fossile Spinnen in Bernstein und ihre Heute Lebenden Verwandten by Jörg Wunderlich , 1987 .

[45]  J. Kovoor,et al.  Comparative Structure and Histochemistry of Silk-Producing Organs in Arachnids , 1987 .

[46]  C. Griswold.  A revision of the jumping spider genus Habronattus F.O.P.-Cambridge (Araneae; Salticidae), with phenetic and cladistic analyses , 1987 .

[47]  N. Platnick,et al.  On the first American spiders of the subfamily Sternodinae (Araneae, Malkaridae). American Museum novitates ; no. 2894 , 1987 .

[48]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the spider superfamilies Hypochiloidea and Austrochiloidea (Araneae, Araneomorphae). Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 185, article 1 , 1987 .

[49]  A. F. Millidge.  The erigonine spiders of North America. Part 8, The genus Eperigone Crosby and Bishop (Araneae, Linyphiidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 2885 , 1987 .

[50]  H. W. Levi.  The Neotropical orb-weaver genera Chrysometa and Homalometa (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) , 1986 .

[51]  J. Coddington.  The Monophyletic Origin of the Orb Web , 1986 .

[52]  J. Coddington.  The Genera of the Spider Family Theridiosomatidae , 1986 .

[53]  W. Shear,et al.  Spiders : webs, behavior, and evolution , 1986 .

[54]  W. Eberhard,et al.  WEB-BUILDING BEHAVIOR OF ANAPID, SYMPHYTOGNATHI D AND MYSMENID SPIDERS (ARANEAE ) , 1986 .

[55]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the archaeid spiders and their relatives, with notes on the limits of the superfamily Palpimanoidea (Arachnida, Araneae). Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 178, article 1 , 1984 .

[56]  H. W. Levi.  The orb-weaver genera Argiope, Gea, and Neogea from the Western Pacific Region (Araneae: Araneidae, Argiopinae) , 1983 .

[57]  H. W. Levi,et al.  Progress Report on the Phylogeny of the Orb-weaving Family Araneidae and the Superfamily Araneoidea (Arachnida: Araneae) , 1983 .

[58]  J. Coddington.  A Temporary Slide-mount Allowing Precise Manipulation of Small Structures , 1983 .

[59]  H. W. Levi.  The American orb-weaver genera Dolichognatha and Tetragnatha north of Mexico (Araneae: Araneidae, Tetragnathinae) , 1981 .

[60]  H. W. Levi.  The orb-weaver genus Mecynogea, the subfamily Metinae and the genera Pachygnatha, Glenognatha and Azilia of the subfamily Tetragnathinae north of Mexico (Araneae: Araneidae) , 1980 .

[61]  B. Opell.  Revision of the genera and tropical American species of the spider family Uloboridae , 1979 .

[62]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the spider genus Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 2661 , 1978 .

[63]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the spider genus Anapis (Araneae, Anapidae), with a dual cladistic analysis. American Museum novitates ; no. 2663 , 1978 .

[64]  N. Platnick,et al.  A review of the spider family Symphytognathidae (Arachnida, Araneae) , 1977 .

[65]  R. R. Forster,et al.  New Zealand Spiders: An Introduction , 1973 .

[66]  P. Lehtinen.  Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder , 1967 .

[67]  A. D. Blest,et al.  The spiders of New Zealand , 1967 .

[68]  P. V. Helsdingen.  Sexual behaviour of Lepthyphantes leprosus (Ohlert) (Araneida, Linyphiidae), with notes on the function of the genital organs , 1965 .

[69]  H. W. Levi,et al.  The genera of the spider family Theridiidae , 1962 .

[70]  W. J. Gertsch.  Descriptions of American spiders of the family Symphytognathidae , 1960 .

[71]  R. Forster.  Spiders of the family Symphytognathidae from North and South America. American Museum novitates ; no. 1885 , 1958 .

[72]  H. W. Levi.  The spider genus Mysmena in the Americas (Araneae, Theridiidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 1801 , 1956 .

[73]  V. Hickman.  On some new Hadrotarsidae (Araneae) with notes on their internal anatomy , 1942 .

[74]  E. Simon.  Histoire Naturelle des Araignées , 1892 .