The Genera of the Spider Family Theridiosomatidae
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The Genera of the Spider Family Theridiosomatidae JONATHAN A. CODDINGTON m SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY • NUMBER 422 SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was expressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Smithsonian Folklife Studies Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale monographs that report the research and collections of its various museums and bureaux or of professional colleagues in the world of science and scholarship. The publications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world. Papers or monographs submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Press, subject to its own review for format and style, only through departments of the various Smithsonian museums or bureaux, where the manuscripts are given substantive review. Press requirements for manuscript and art preparation are outlined on the inside back cover. Robert McC. Adams Secretary Smithsonian Institution SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY • NUMBER 422 The Genera of the Spider Family Theridiosomatidae Jonathan A. Coddington SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PRESS City of Washington 1986 ABSTRACT Coddington, Jonathan A. The Genera of the Spider Family Theridioso- matidae. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, number 422, 96 pages, 220 figures, 8 maps, 1 table, 1986.—The cosmotropical spider family Theridio- somatidae is revised at the generic level to contain 9 genera: Theridiosoma O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879, Ogulnius O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1882, Wendil- garda Keyserling, 1886, Epeirotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894, Baalzebub, new genus (type-species B. baubo, new species), Epilineutes, new genus (type- species Theridiosoma globosum O. Pickard-Cambridge), Plato, new genus (type- species P. troglodita, new species), Naatlo, new genus (type-species N. sutila, new species), and Chthonos, new name. Of the 22 genera historically associated with the family, 17 have been rejected, transferred, or synonymized. Theri- dilella Chamberlin and Ivie, 1936 (damaged specimen), and Allototua Bryant, 1945 (unique specimen lost), are considered unrecognizable nomina dubia; Haliger Mello-Leitao lacks the defining features of theridiosomatids and is considered incertae sedis. Diotherisoma di Caporiacco, 1947, is transferred to the Araneidae and Totua Keyserling, 1891, to the Linyphiidae. The previous transfers of Colphepeira Archer, 1941, to the Araneidae, Billima Simon, 1908, Helvidia Thorell, 1890, and Spheropistha Yaginuma, 1957, to the Theridiidae, Cyatholipulus Petrunkevitch, 1930, to the Symphytognathidae, Cyatholipus Simon, 1894, and Tekella Urquhart, 1894, to the Cyatholipinae (Tetragnath- idae), and Parogulnius Archer, 1953, and Phricotelus Simon, 1895, to the Mysmenidae are not contested. The genus Andasta Simon, 1895, is synony- mized with Theridiosoma, and Enthorodera Simon, 1907, and Cyathidea Simon, 1907, with Wendilgarda. Theridiosoma argentatum Keyserling, 1886, and T. radiosum (McCook, 1881) are synonymized with T. gemmosum (L. Koch, 1878), and Wendilgarda panamica Archer, 1953, W. hassleri Archer, 1953, and W. theridionina Simon, 1895, with W. clara Keyserling, 1886. Tecmessa tetrabuna Archer, 1958, and Epeirotypus gloriae Petrunkevitch, 1930, are transferred to Ogulnius. Maymena bruneti Gertsch, 1960, and Wendilgarda guacharo Brignoli, 1972, W. miranda Brignoli, 1972, and W. bicolor Keyser- ling, 1886, are transferred to Plato. Theridiosoma fauna Simon, 1897, T. splendidum (Taczanowski, 1873), and T. sylvicola Hingston, 1932, are trans- ferred to Naatlo. Theridiosoma albinotatum Petrunkevitch, 1930, and T. brauni Wunderlich, 1976, are transferred to Baalzebub. Theridiosoma nigrum (Key- serling, 1886) is returned to Wendilgarda. The genus Tecmessa O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1882, is valid but the name is preoccupied {Tecmessa Burmeister, 1878: Lepidoptera); the new name Chthonos replaces it. The new genera Baalzebub, Epilineutes, Naatlo, and Plato, and the new species Baalzebub baubo, Plato troglodita, Naatlo sutila, and Epeirotypus chavarria are described. The sister taxon of the Theridiosomatidae is the Mysmenidae-Symphytognathi- dae-Anapidae clade. A cladogram for theridiosomatid genera is presented. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. SERIES COVER DESIGN: The coral Montastrea cavernosa (Linnaeus). Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Coddington, Jonathan A. The genera of the spider family Theridiosomatidae. (Smithsonian contributions to zoology ; no. 422) Bibliography: p. Supt. of Docs, no.: SI 1.27:422 I. Theridiosomatidae—Classification. I. Title. II Series QL1.S54 no. 422 [QL458.42.T55] 591s [595.4'4] 85-600150 Contents Page Introduction 1 Acknowledgments 2 Methods 3 Abbreviations 4 Taxonomic History 4 Morphology and Phylogeny 8 Monophyly of Theridiosomatidae 8 Comparative Morphology of Theridiosomatid Genitalia 10 Interfamilial Relationships 13 Intergeneric Relationships 17 THERIDIOSOMATIDAE 22 Key to Genera 27 PLATONINAE, new subfamily 28 Plato, new genus 28 Plato troglodita, new species 29 Plato bruneti (Gertsch), new combination 31 Plato miranda (Brignoli), new combination 33 Plato guacharo (Brignoli), new combination 33 Plato bicolor (Keyserling), new combination 33 Chthonos, new name 33 Chthonos pectorosa (O. Pickard-Cambridge), new combination . 35 Chthonos peruana (Keyserling), new combination 37 Chthonos tuberosa (Keyserling), new combination 37 Chthonos quinquemucronata (Simon), new combination 37 EPEIROTYPINAE Archer 37 Epeirotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge 37 Epeirotypus brevipes O. Pickard-Cambridge 39 Epeirotypus chavarria, new species 43 Naatlo, new genus 44 Naatlo sutila, new species 45 Naatlo splendida (Taczanowski), new combination 47 Naatlo fauna (Simon), new combination 50 Naatlo sylvicola (Hingston), new combination 52 OGULNIINAE, new subfamily 52 Ogulnius O. Pickard-Cambridge 52 Ogulnius obtectus O. Pickard-Cambridge 55 Ogulnius gloriae (Petrunkevitch), new combination 57 Ogulnius tetrabuna (Archer), new combination 61 in IV SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY THERIDIOSOMATINAE Simon 61 Theridiosoma O. Pickard-Cambridge 61 Theridiosoma gemmosum (L. Koch) 64 Theridiosoma semiargenteum (Simon), new combination 71 Theridiosoma genevensium (Brignoli), new combination 71 Baalzebub, new genus 71 Baalzebub baubo, new species 72 Baalzebub albinotatus (Petrunkevitch), new combination 74 Baalzebub brauni (Wunderlich), new combination 74 Epilineutes, new genus 74 Epilineutes globosus (O. Pickard-Cambridge), new combination . 79 Wendilgarda Keyserling 82 Wendilgarda mexicana Keyserling 83 Wendilgarda clara Keyserling 88 Wendilgarda atricolor (Simon), new combination 89 References 92 The Genera of the Spider Family Theridiosomatidae Jonathan A. Coddington Introduction idae, Theridiidae). As groups of tropical ara- neoids become better known, they become reli- The spider family Theridiosomatidae exem- able outgroups for the remaining Araneoidea. plifies a common taxonomic problem: a vaguely Delimitation of these taxa thus can only improve defined, little-known, poorly understood, sup- our understanding of character transformations posedly small, and yet exotic cosmotropical in the superfamily as a whole. group of animals. The exasperatingly small size Theridiosomatidae promises to be a much of the spiders (often less than 2 mm total length) larger family than catalogs suggest (e.g., Roewer, invited superficial descriptive work by taxono- 1942; Bonnet, 1955-1959; Brignoli, 1983). At mists and ensured neglect of their natural his- present roughly 120 species, described and un- tory. However, the recent series of papers by described, are known world-wide, and certainly Forsterand Platnick (1977), Platnickand Shadab that is only the beginning. Probably rather few (1978a,b, 1979), Eberhard (1981, 1982), and of the 60-odd available species names will turn Coddington (in press) on related araneoid spiders out to be synonyms. Most species are known only demonstrates that knowledge of these small from the type series. groups will probably be critical for our under- standing of the superfamily Araneoidea. This revision was originally envisaged as a treatment of the neotropical theridiosomatid spe- Study of theridiosomatids is important for a cies. Tropical Africa, Australia, Malaysia, and number of reasons. Refutation of their tradi- New Guinea, however, are rich in theridioso- tional placement within or near Araneidae