Register      Login
Invertebrate Systematics Invertebrate Systematics Society
Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Systematics of the Australian orb-weaving spider genus Demadiana with comments on the generic classification of the Arkyinae (Araneae : Araneidae)

Volker W. Framenau A B F , Nikolaj Scharff C D and Mark S. Harvey A B E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Locked Bag 49, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986, Australia.

B School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.

C Natural History Museum of Denmark, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

D Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.

E Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 49th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA; and California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94103-3009, USA.

F Corresponding author. Email: volker.framenau@museum.wa.gov.au

Invertebrate Systematics 24(2) 139-171 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS10005
Submitted: 12 February 2010  Accepted: 13 April 2010   Published: 29 June 2010

Abstract

The orb-weaving spider subfamily Arkyinae L. Koch, 1872 is exclusively found in the Australasian region and its taxonomy and the systematic relationships within and between genera of this subfamily are poorly understood. We here revise the arkyine genus Demadiana Strand, 1929 to include six Australian species, four of which are described as new: Demadiana simplex (Karsch, 1878) (type species), D. carrai, sp. nov., D. cerula (Simon, 1908), comb. nov., D. complicata, sp. nov., D. diabolus, sp. nov., and D. milledgei, sp. nov. A phylogenetic analysis based on an updated araneid morphological data matrix including 57 genera of orb-weaving spiders identified Demadiana as a member of the araneid subfamily Arkyinae. A separate phylogenetic analysis for the genus at the species level showed little resolution within Demadiana, but did identify a monophyletic Demadiana supported by three putative synapomorphies: small unique setal pits with spherical sockets covering the carapace, sternum and the bases of the paturon (chelicerae), an extreme elongation of the trumpet-like aggregate spigots of the posterior lateral spinnerets and a distinct curvature of the embolus. We detail several new generic and species synonymies within Arkyinae. Aerea Urquhart, 1891 (type species Aerea alticephala Urquhart, 1891) and Neoarchemorus Mascord, 1968 (type species N. speechleyi Mascord, 1968) are regarded as junior synonyms of Arkys Walckenaer, 1837 (type species A. lancearius Walckenaer, 1837), resulting in Arkys speechleyi (Mascord, 1968), comb. nov. Aerea magnifica Urquhart, 1893 and Archemorus simsoni Simon, 1893 are regarded as junior synonyms of Aerea alticephala Urquhart, 1891, and Arkys nitidiceps Simon, 1908 is proposed as a junior synonym of Arkys walckenaeri Simon, 1879.

Additional keywords: Aerea, Archemorus, Arkys, Australasia, Neoarchemorus, new species, phylogeny, taxonomy.


Acknowledgements

We are indebted to a variety of curators, collection managers and museum staff for assistance in accessing their collections either as loans or during visits to their respective institutions and by providing access to their databases: Owen Seeman, Robert Raven and Barbara Baehr (QM), David Hirst (SAM), Graham Milledge and Helen Smith (AM), Peter Lillywhite, Ken Walker and Richard Marchant (NMV), Janet Beccaloni (BMNH), Hieronymus Dastych (ZMH), and Jason Dunlop (ZMB). Helen Smith (AM) collected the living specimens of D. cerula that were photographed for Fig. 1A, B. This study would have been impossible without the support of these institutions and their enthusiastic personnel. We are grateful to Tamás Szűts (California Academy for Sciences) for productive comments on this manuscript. This study was initially supported by the Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS) to VWF and NS (grant no. 205–24) and by the Danish Natural Science Foundation to NS (grant no. 21020502). VWF received funding through BHP Billiton Iron Ore in the final stages of this study. NS received funding through the Center for Macroecology, University of Copenhagen, when this study was completed.


References


Agnarsson I. (2004) Morphological phylogeny of cobweb spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141, 447–626.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | [verified 03 February 2010].

Griswold C. D., Coddington J. A., Hormiga G., Scharff N. (1998) Phylogeny of the orb-web building spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae: Deinopoidea, Araneoidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 123, 1–99.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | [verified 03 February 2010].

Main B. Y. (1982) Notes on the reduced web, behaviour and prey of Arcys nitidiceps Simon (Araneidae) in south western Australia. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 5, 425–432. [verified 03 February 2010].

Pickard-Cambridge O. (1870) On some new genera and species of Araneida. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1870, 728–747. [verified 03 February 2010].

Platnick N. I., Forster R. R. (1987) On the first American spiders of the subfamily Sternodinae (Araneae, Malkaridae). American Museum Novitates 2894, 1–12. open url image1

Platnick N. I., Shadab M. U. (1993) A review of the pirate spiders (Araneae, Mimetidae) of Chile. American Museum Novitates 3074, 1–30. open url image1

Rack G. (1961) Die Entomologischen Sammlungen des Zoologischen Staatsinstituts und Zoologischen Museums Hamburg. II. Teil. Chelicerata II: Araneae. Mitteilungen des Hamburgischen Zoologischen Museums und Instituts 59, 1–60. open url image1

Rainbow W. J. (1911) A census of Australian Araneidae. Records of the Australian Museum 9, 107–319. open url image1

Roewer C. F. (1942). ‘Katalog der Araneae. Vol. 1.’ (R. Friedländer und Söhne: Bremen.)

Scharff N., Coddington J. A. (1997) A phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 120, 355–434.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Simon E. (1864). ‘Histoire naturelle des araignées (Aranéides).’ (Encyclopédie Roret: Paris.)

Simon E. (1879) Note sur les Epeiridae de la sous-famille des Arcyinae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique 22, lv–lxi. open url image1

Simon E. (1890) Etudes arachnologiques. 22e Mémoire. XXXIV. Etude sur les arachnides de l’Yemen. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 6(10), 77–124. open url image1

Simon E. (1892). ‘Histoire naturelle des araignées. Vol. 1(1).’ (Encyclopédie Roret: Paris.) pp. 1–256.

Simon E. (1893) Descriptions d’espèces et de genres nouveaux de l’ordre des Araneae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 62, 299–330. open url image1

Simon E. (1894). ‘Histoire naturelle des araignées. Vol. 1(3).’ (Encyclopédie Roret: Paris.) pp. 489–760.

Simon E. (1895). ‘Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième edition. Vol. 1(4).’ (Encyclopédie Roret: Paris.) pp. 761–1084.

Simon E. (1908). Araneae, 1re partie. In ‘Die Fauna Südwest-Australiens. Ergebnisse der Hamburger südwest-australischen Forschungsreise 1905’. (Eds W. Michaelsen and R. Hartmeyer.) Vol. 1, pp. 359–446. (Gustav Fischer Verlag: Jena, Germany.)

Smith H. M. (2005) A preliminary study of the relationships of taxa included in the tribe Poltyini (Araneae, Araneidae). The Journal of Arachnology 33, 468–481.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Strand E. (1929) Zoological and palaeontological nomenclatorical notes. Acta Universitatis Latviensis 20, 1–29. open url image1

Swofford D. L. (2002). ‘PAUP*: Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*and Other Methods), Version 4.0b07.’ (Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, Massachusetts.)

Tanikawa A. (2000) Japanese spiders of the genus Eriophora (Araneae: Araneidae). Acta Arachnologica 49, 17–28.
Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Urquhart A. T. (1891) On new species of Tasmanian Araneidae. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1890, 236–253. open url image1

Urquhart A. T. (1893) On new species of Tasmanian Araneae. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1892, 94–130. open url image1

Walckenaer C. A. (1837). ‘Histoire naturelle des insectes. Aptères. Vol. 1.’ (Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: Paris.)