Speciation without changes in genital shape: a case study on Brazilian pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae)

Author(s)

Huber, Bernhard A. ; Rheims, Cristina A. ; Brescovit, Antonio D. ^[3]

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ZOOLOGISCHER ANZEIGER; v. 243, n. 4, p. 273-279, June 2005.
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology

Abstract

Speciation in arthropods is usually coupled with marked changes in genital morphology, which explains the usefulness of genitalia in distinguishing closely related species. The present paper describes specimens that are assigned to separate species based on extreme size differences and colour pattern differences, but the shape of the genitalia is essentially identical. We argue that such cryptic species may be more common than currently assumed, but if marked morphological (non-genital) differences are missing, traditional taxonomic methodology is biased against discovering them. The two new species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are tentatively assigned to the genus Psilochorus: Psilochorus itaguyrussu n. sp. and Psilochorus ybytyriguara n. sp. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 02/11277-9 - Cladistic analysis of the genuses of Sparassidae Bertkau (Arachnida, Araneae) with emphasis on neotropical genuses
• Grantee: Cristina Anne Rheims
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 99/05446-8 - Biodiversity of Arachnida and Myriapoda of the State of São Paulo
• Grantee: Antonio Domingos Brescovit
• Support type: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants