Phylogeographic analysis of the species of the genus Aglaoctenus (Araneae, Lycosidae)

• Grant number: 11/17244-4
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2011
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal researcher: Vera Nisaka Solferini
• Grantee: Fernanda von Hertwig Mascarenhas Fontes
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The geographic distribution patterns of species are usually due to the processes of dispersal and vicariance and coupled with an intense and continuous evolution over millions years. There are several hypotheses to explain these patterns, and in the South American continent one of the most discussed has been the "refuge theory". Brazil is an interesting region for such studies because of the the Amazon and Atlantic Forests, actually separated by the "major South American disjunction". There is a trend in the use of vertebrates and plants for research, and species of invertebrates are less studied, although constitute the largest group of animal diversity. However, phylogeographic research using spiders have proved being interesting in other parts of the world and this group is quite common in Brazil. The family Lycosidae has great abundance in South America and presents an unusual feature for spiders: parental care. The genus Aglaoctenus is the object of study with three species of disjunct occurrence in the country: A. castaneus, clearly separated populations between the two great tropical forests; A. lagotis, widely distributed in the midwest and Atlantic Indoor, and A. oblonga, restricted to the south. For being spiders with restricted dispersal, it is likely that gene flow between populations can be easily interrupted that makes them interesting for phylogeographic studies. In view of this, we propose an approach in a macro scale of the Aglaoctenus genus species population with mitochondrial marker (COI) and amplification of microsatellites, seeking to understand the evolutionary and historical events that occurred in Brazil and generated the current distribution pattern. (AU)