A new genus of cyphophthalmid from the Iberian Peninsula with a phylogenetic analysis of the Sironidae (Arachnida : Opiliones : Cyphophthalmi) and a SEM database of external morphology

Abstract

A new species of sironid from Portugal is described based on a single male specimen collected over half a century ago. The unique combination of character states and phylogenetic comparison with representatives of all sironid genera justifies the erection of a new genus, the fourth one found in the Iberian Peninsula. Phylogenetic analysis is conducted using equal weights and the implied weighting method as a means of testing the stability of clades with respect to parameter variation, in a similar fashion to the sensitivity analysis commonly performed in molecular data analyses. Results suggest that the new genus is sister to Paramiopsalis Juberthie, 1962, although nodal support for this relationship is low. The morphological data matrix is accompanied by scanning electron micrographs of most characters for 24 species to make the morphological coding as explicit as possible. Comparison of these images fostered the discovery and proper interpretation of characters and their states.