Novrtates PUBLISHED by the AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST at 79TH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y
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AMERICAN MUSEUM Novrtates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 U.S.A. NUMBER 2589 NOVEMBER 14, 1975 NORMAN I. PLATNICK A Revision of the South American Spider Genus Trachelopachys (Araneae, Clubionidae) p *1 . Ei' V.Uh "Y. nuuir p 1 1 AMERICAN MUSEUM Novitates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2589, pp. 1-25, figs. 1-57, 1 table November 14, 1975 A Revision of the South American Spider Genus Trachelopachys (Araneae, Clubionidae) NORMAN I. PLATNICKI ABSTRACT The South American spider genus Trache- from Peru, T. magdalena from Colombia, and T. lopachys is redefined on the basis of genitalic ignacio from Paraguay. Trachelopachys albicans characters; the 11 known species are diagnosed, Mello-Leitio is newly synonymized with T. cin- described, and assigned to species groups. A gulipes (Simon). The male of T. bicolor proposal to unite the tracheline, castianeirine, Chamberlin and the females of T. sericeus and corinnine clubionids in a separate family, (Simon), T. bidentatus Tullgren, and T. gracilis Corinnidae, is rejected; two characters used to (Keyserling) are described for the first time. support this grouping (the purported absence of Trachelopachys fasciatus Mello-Leitao, T. gulosus dorsal tarsal trichobothria and of feathery Mello-Leitio, and T. segmentatus Mello-Leitio setae) are shown to be invalid, and the genitalic are transferred to Trachelas; Trachelas keyserlingi similarities between the trachelines and castia- Roewer and Trachelas gracilis Keyserling are neirines are considered symplesiomorphic. A transferred to Trachelopachys. In a supplement, cladistic analysis of the known Trachelopachys is the genus Tetratrachelas Caporiacco is newly presented, and an attempt made to correlate the synonymized with Trachelopachys, and Meriola inferred branching sequence with the geographi- discolorifemur Caporiacco is transferred to cal distribution of the species. Four new species Trachelopachys and newly synonymized with T. are described: T. tarma and T. machupicchu singularis (Caporiacco). INTRODUCTION The present paper, the third in a series on the placed in the large, widespread genus Trachelas tracheline genera of the spider family Club- but several smaller genera, including some that ionidae and the first of several that will focus on are monotypic, have been described. As the real the South American fauna, is concerned with the limits of Trachelas are not yet known, it has genus Trachelopachys. The South American tra- seemed best to work out the smaller genera first, chelines are very poorly known; about 50 species even though some species belonging to them may have been described, mostly from single speci- be currently misplaced in Trachelas and some mens, and few of the species have ever been name changes may be necessary when that genus mentioned in the literature since their original is revised. descriptions. Most of these species have been Trachelopachys, apparently the largest of the 'Assistant Curator, Department of Entomology, the American Museum of Natural History. Copyright © The American Museum of Natural History 1975 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $1.70 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2589 smaller genera, is also one of the most distinctive. Traditionally, the trachelines have been placed The genus includes the largest American trache- in the Corinninae on the basis of the indistinct, lines, and all the species are strikingly colored. In short second segment of their posterior spin- life, the reddish orange legs contrast strongly nerets, even though Corinna and its relatives have with a very dark, often jet-black carapace. In numerous heavy leg spines and vastly more com- addition, most species have parts of some leg seg- plex genitalia. Lehtinen (1967) enlarged the con- ments strongly marked with dark bands, often in cept of the group to include the castianeirines as a species-specific pattem. Unfortunately, the well, and proposed, as part of a solution to the reddish colors wash out rapidly in alcohol, and obvious heterogeneity of the Clubionidae, remov- all preserved specimens have yellow legs; ing all three groups to a separate family Corin- similarly, the dark leg bands and the carapace nidae. Two of the characters used to support this bleach with age, and some specimens collected in grouping, however, are invalid. Lehtinen (1967, the last century show only the faintest traces of p. 292) claimed that the enlarged group "is the leg bands. Trachelopachys can also be characterized by the lack of distinct tarsal tricho- recognized by their genitalia; both the coiled bothria." The tarsal trichobothria of spiders are duct and retrolaterally directed embolus of the easy to locate with the scanning electron micro- male palp (fig. 12) and the presence of a basal scope; their tips tend to curl during the coating spermathecal lobe in females (fig. 15) are dis- process (figs. 2, 3) and their bases have a charac- tinctive. teristic structure very different from that of the The known Trachelopachys fall into two spe- ordinary leg setae (fig. 4). As can be seen from cies groups on the basis of genitalic structure. In figures 5-8, corinnines, castianeirines, and trache- the sericeus group (T. sericeus, T. cingulipes, T. lines all have dorsal tarsal trichobothria. In tarma, T. machupicchu, and T. bidentatus) the addition to lumping all three groups in the Corin- retrolateral tibial apophysis is situated at the tip nidae, Lehtinen transferred the family to his of the tibia (fig. 13) and the anterior epigynal branch Zodariides (far from the Clubionidae in margin is relatively broad (fig. 14), whereas in his system), claiming (1967, p. 292) that the keyserlingi group (T. keyserlingi, T. gracilis, "feathery hairs are totally lacking in all known T. aemulatus, T. magdalena, T. bicolor, and T. evolutionary lines of Zodariides." Reiskind ignacio) the retrolateral tibial apophysis is (1969) pointed out that feathery setae occur in situated below the tip of the tibia (fig. 34) and castianeirines, and a scanning electron micro- the anterior epigynal margin is relatively narrow graph (fig. 1) of feathery setae from the (fig. 36). Both species groups are widely distrib- abdomen of Castianeira trilineata confirms this. uted in South America. One character, the heavy somatic scleroti- Macrotaxonomy. In an earlier paper in this zation, does support the expanded grouping, but series (Platnick and Shadab, 1974) the tracheline as pointed out elsewhere (Platnick, 1975a) this clubionids were characterized by the complete heavy sclerotization occurs in such a wide variety absence of leg spines and the presence, at least in of spider families of obviously separate lineages males, of ventral cusps on the distal segments of that it must have arisen many times and is there- the anterior legs. Since that time I have seen fore of little value for macrotaxonomy. specimens of as yet undetermined South Ameri- Similarly, association of the castianeirines with can trachelines in which neither sex has leg cusps; the trachelines is supported by the genitalic it is apparent that these cusps have been similarities between the two groups. The palp of gradually lost in some lineages, and that the con- Castianeira, for example, can be derived by cept of the group should be broadened. So far as simply elongating the distal half of a Trachelas I am aware, the trachelines are the only club- palp; this palpal elongation is obviously corre- ionids that lack leg spines, and this apomorphic lated with the general somatic elongation of cas- character, along with the heavily sclerotized tianeirines associated with their ant-mimicking cephalothorax and comparatively simple habits. However, these palpi, with their terminal genitalia, allows unambiguous definition of the embolus, a tegulum containing a duct, and a group. hematodocha, are actually the simplest (and 1975 PLATNICK: TRACHELOPA CHYS 3 1 2 3 4 FIGS. 1-4. Scanning electron micrographs. 1. Castianeira trilineata, feathery setae on male abdomen, dorsal view, 675X. 2-4. Tarsal trichobothria from tarsi I of females, dorsal views. 2. Clubiona obesa, 65Ox. 3. Strotarchus piscatorius, 1 300X. 4. Strotarchus piscatorius, 2600X. presumably most primitive) possible forms of the In short, Lehtinen's attempt to resolve the entelegyne palpus, and these genitalic similarities heterogeneity (and presumed, but not finally must therefore be considered symplesiomorphic. demonstrated, polyphyly) of the classical family It seems unlikely then that either the castia- Clubionidae does not significantly improve the neirines or the corinnines are the sister group of classification of the groups considered above. As the trachelines. What the sister group actually is more clubionid genera are studied, the family remains unknown; the Australian genus Lampona will probably be broken down into a large and its relatives may be good candidates. Lam- number of relatively distinct subfamilies. The pona has always been placed in the Gnaphosidae relationships of these subfamilies are likely to because of its separated anterior spinnerets, but remain unknown until the world fauna is revised; the tracheline-like absence of leg spines, heavy meanwhile, little is gained by elevating these somatic sclerotization, and genitalia are char- distinct but small groups to family status, and it acters found in no other gnaphosids and clearly seems best to continue the usage of Clubionidae. exclude the genus from