Intraspecific Variation in the Morphology of Ovipositors in the family Cosmetidae Koch, 1839: an investigation into its utility in the taxonomy of the group (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cosmetidae)

• Grant number: 24/14430-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Pinto da Rocha
• Grantee: Guilherme Pereira Alves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Opiliones constitute one of the largest and oldest groups of arachnids, primarily occurring in humid forests, with great diversity in tropical regions. The morphology of the penis is an important morphological characteristic for their systematics, and the analysis of this structure has become essential in modern species descriptions. On the other hand, the morphological analysis of ovipositors is rare, especially in Laniatores, although this is the most diverse suborder. Cosmetidae, a family found in South and Central America, is the second largest of Laniatores and has historically had a neglected systematics. Recent studies have observed significant variation in the morphology of Cosmetidae ovipositors and emphasize the importance of including morphological descriptions of ovipositors in species descriptions, as it can be a useful source of phylogenetic characters. The present study aims to describe the intraspecific variation of ovipositors in different species of the Cosmetidae family.