The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae, comprising tarantulas, funnel-web spiders and the trap-door ... more The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae, comprising tarantulas, funnel-web spiders and the trap-door spiders, is one of the three main evolutionary lineages recognized within spiders. Its family level phylogenetic relationships are with a few exceptions relatively well solved, but its actual diversity in the Mediterranean region is probably underestimated. Because of the extremely low dispersal capacity, mygalomorph spiders usually show high levels of local endemism and deep population genetic structure, however, closely related species tend to be morphologically conservative. The low vagility and high habitat fidelity of mygalomorphs makes them a perfect model system for biogeographic studies as their distribution ranges are more likely to reflect geological processes such as continental break ups or tectonic plates rearrangements, while their conservative morphology makes them a good system to test species delimiting methods. The present Ph.D. thesis provides insights into the cryptic...
The family Hexathelidae ranks among the smaller mygalomorph spider families. Most species are end... more The family Hexathelidae ranks among the smaller mygalomorph spider families. Most species are endemic to the Australasian region and the family was traditionally considered an example of a Gondwanan lineage. However, recent studies have cast some doubt on the monophyly of the family. Macrothele is the only genus with an out-of-Gondwana distribution. The bulk of the Macrothele diversity is found in South-east Asia, few species are known from central Africa and two species inhabit Europe: Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) from the Iberian Peninsula and Macrothele cretica Kulczynski, 1903 endemic to Crete. Here we investigate the origins of the European Macrothele species by means of a multi-locus phylogenetic approach and by inferring the time frame of the diversification of the genus using Bayesian relaxed clock methods. We also provide further insights into the phylogenetic status of the family Hexathelidae. Our results indicate that the diversification of Macrothele traces ba...
The family Ctenizidae is a worldwide-distributed trapdoor spider group, with a modest number of g... more The family Ctenizidae is a worldwide-distributed trapdoor spider group, with a modest number of genera and species but interesting biogeography. Its monophyly has been questioned on the basis of both morphological and molecular evidence. The family is represented in the Mediterranean Basin by three genera and nine species: Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum, mostly endemic to the region, and Ummidia, long considered an anthropogenic introduction to the Mediterranean because the bulk of its diversity is in the New World. The taxonomic status of some of the species and genera (e.g. Mediterranean Ummidia species or Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum) has been called into question due to their close morphological affinities. Here, we use a multilocus approach that combines DNA sequence data from three nuclear genes 28S rRNA, EF1γ and H3 to investigate the origins and phylogenetic position of the Mediterranean taxa within the context of ctenizid generic-level diversity. For the first time, all known ctenizid genera are included in a phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, Bayesian relaxed clock methods and specific substitution rates are used to infer the timing of the group's diversification. Our results disagree with the traditional division of the family Ctenizidae into two subfamilies finding them polyphyletic and stress the need for re-evaluating the morphological characters that have been used in the group's classification. Time estimates indicate an ancient origin and long history of Mediterranean ctenizids. The present day disjunct distribution of Ummidia seems to be the result of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting a former Laurasian distribution of the genus that is further supported by Baltic amber fossils. Similarly, the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin has likely played a key role in the diversification of both Ummidia and Cteniza, whereas the origin of Cyrtocarenum species preceded the breakup of the former continuous landmass that formed the Aegean region. Deep divergence times and reciprocal monophyly support the status of Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum as independent evolutionary lineages. Alternatively, the taxonomic status of Ummidia with regard to the closely related genus Conothele remains unclear; a more thorough sampling of the latter is needed to evaluate whether the synonymy of the two genera is necessary.
Spiders represent one of the most studied arachnid orders. They are particularly intriguing from ... more Spiders represent one of the most studied arachnid orders. They are particularly intriguing from a cytogenetic point of view, due to their complex and dynamic sex chromosome determination systems. Despite intensive research on this group, cytogenetic data from African spiders are still mostly lacking. In this study, we describe the karyotypes of 38 species of spiders belonging to 16 entelegyne families from South Africa and Namibia. In the majority of analysed families, the observed chromosome numbers and morphology (mainly acrocentric) did not deviate from the family-level cytogenetic characteristics based on material from other continents: Tetragnathidae (2n♂ = 24), Ctenidae and Oxyopidae (2n♂ = 28), Sparassidae (2n♂ = 42), Gnaphosidae, Trachelidae and Trochanteriidae (2n♂ = 22), and Salticidae (2n♂ = 28). On the other hand, we identified interspecific variability within Hersiliidae (2n♂ = 33 and 35), Oecobiidae (2n♂ = 19 and 25), Selenopidae (2n♂ = 26 and 29) and Theridiidae (2n♂...
The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is one of the three main lineages of spiders comprising over 3,000 n... more The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is one of the three main lineages of spiders comprising over 3,000 nominal species. This ancient group has a world-wide distribution that includes among its ranks large and charismatic taxa such as tarantulas, trapdoor spiders, and highly venomous funnel web spiders. Based on past molecular studies using Sanger-sequencing approaches, numerous mygalomorph families (e.g., Hexathelidae, Ctenizidae, Cyrtaucheniidae, Dipluridae and Nemesiidae) have been identified as non-monophyletic. However, these data were unable to sufficiently resolve the higher-level (intra- and interfamilial) relationships such that the necessary changes in classification could be made with confidence. Here we present the most comprehensive phylogenomic treatment of the spider infraorder Mygalomorphae conducted to date. We employ 472 loci obtained through Anchored Hybrid Enrichment to reconstruct relationships among all the mygalomorph spider families and estimate the timeframe of thei...
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, Jan 12, 2018
The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine gener... more The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine genera and 135 species. However, the monophyly of this group has long been questioned on both morphological and molecular grounds. Here, we use Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) to gather hundreds of loci from across the genome for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among the nine genera and test the monophyly of the family. We also reconstruct the possible ancestral ranges of the most inclusive clade recovered. Using AHE, we generate a supermatrix of 565 loci and 115,209 bp for 27 individuals. For the first time, analyses using all nine genera produce results definitively establishing the non-monophyly of Ctenizidae. A lineage formed exclusively by representatives of South African Stasimopus was placed as the sister group to the remaining taxa in the tree, and the Mediterranean Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum were recovered with high support as sister to exemplars of Euctenizidae, Migidae...
A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in a... more A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semi-quantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information. We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a hi...
Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae), 2018
Citation: Opatova, V., & Št'áhlavský, F. (2018). Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudosco... more Citation: Opatova, V., & Št'áhlavský, F. (2018). Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae). The Journal of Arachnology, 46(1), 104-113. An organism's ability to respond to ecological changes at its currently inhabited location, and to colonize a new one, is particularly important for organisms inhabiting ephemeral habitats. Phoresy, which involves attaching of a non-vagile individual to a selected carrier of a different species, is used by a wide variety of taxa, but surprisingly little is known about the genetic structure of phoretic species. A better understanding of their genetic structure would help elucidate the efficacy of this manner of dispersal. In this study, we analyse the phylogeographic patterns of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (C.L. Koch, 1839) across a 1830 km range, encompassing most of the species' distribution range in Europe. The lack of geographic structure and low divergences within the two main clades suggest that C. hahnii disperses by phoresy. Individuals shared haplotypes at localities 350 km apart and very little divergence was detected between localities over 1450 km away from each other, indicating that phoresy is a very efficient manner of dispersal in this species. We also detected highly divergent populations within C. hahnii; however, more material and additional data would be necessary in order to evaluate the potential existence of cryptic diversity within this species.
Taxonomic revision and insights into the speciation mode of the spider Dysdera erythrina species-complex (Araneae : Dysderidae): sibling species with sympatric distributions, 2018
Citation: Řezáč, M., Arnedo, M. A., Opatova, V., Musilová, J., Řezáčová, V., & Král, J. (2018). T... more Citation: Řezáč, M., Arnedo, M. A., Opatova, V., Musilová, J., Řezáčová, V., & Král, J. (2018). Taxonomic revision and insights into the speciation mode of the spider Dysdera erythrina species-complex (Araneae: Dysderidae): sibling species with sympatric distributions. Invertebrate Systematics, 32(1), 10-54. The genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804, a species-rich group of spiders that includes specialised predators of woodlice, contains several complexes of morphologically similar sibling species. Here we investigate species limits in the D. erythrina (Walckenaer, 1802) complex by integrating phenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular data, and use this information to gain further knowledge on its origin and evolution. We describe 16 new species and redescribe four poorly known species belonging to this clade. The distribution of most of the species in the complex is limited to southern France and the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The species studied do not show any obvious differences in habitat preference, and some of them even occur sympatrically at certain sites. They probably feed on the same type of prey as they readily capture woodlice. On the other hand, they differ in body size, mouthparts shape, sculpturing of carapace, morphology of the copulatory organs, karyotype and DNA sequences. Experimental interspecific mating showed a partial precopulatory behavioural barrier between D. erythrina and D. cechica, sp. nov. Our data suggest that karyotype evolution of the complex included chromosome fusions and fissions as well as translocations (between autosomes as well as autosomes and sex chromosomes). We hypothesise that chromosome rearrangements generating reproductive incompatibility played a primary role in speciation within Dysdera complexes. Dysdera spiders are poor dispersers, and their original distribution areas (forested areas in the Mediterranean) were repeatedly fragmented during Quarternary climatic oscillations, facilitating integration of chromosome rearrangements into karyotypes by genetic drift. Sympatric occurrence of closely related species may have been promoted by prey segregation as suggested by differentiation in body size in co-occurring species. The following new species are described: D.
A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) communities associated to white oak woodlands in Spanish National Parks, 2018
Citation: Crespo, Luís C., et al. "A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arac... more Citation: Crespo, Luís C., et al. "A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) communities associated to white oak woodlands in Spanish National Parks." Biodiversity Data Journal 6 (2018). Background A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semiquantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information. New information We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a higher proportion of Iberian and Mediterranean species than the northern parks, where the Palearctic elements were largely dominant. The analysis of approximately 3,200 DNA barcodes generated in the present study, corroborated and provided finer resolution to the morphologically based delimitation and identification of specimens in some taxonomically challenging families. Specifically, molecular data confirmed putative new species with diagnosable morphology, identified overlooked lineages that may constitute new species, confirmed assignment of specimens of unknown sexes to species and identified cases of misidentifications and phenotypic polymorphisms.
Uncovering the role of the Western Mediterranean tectonics in shaping the diversity and distribution of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia (Araneae, Ctenizidae), 2016
Citation: Opatova, V., Bond, J. E., & Arnedo, M. A. (2016). Uncovering the role of the Western Me... more Citation: Opatova, V., Bond, J. E., & Arnedo, M. A. (2016). Uncovering the role of the Western Mediterranean tectonics in shaping the diversity and distribution of the trap‐door spider genus Ummidia (Araneae, Ctenizidae). Journal of Biogeography, 43(10), 1955-1966. Aim We test the hypothesis that the opening of the Western Mediterranean basin drove the diversification of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia by reconstructing the phylogeny and inferring a temporal framework of diversification. Additionally, we assess niche interchangeability of three Ummidia species to test the role of dispersal in shaping their present-day distribution. Location Western Mediterranean, encompassing the known distribution range of Ummidia on the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Methods We use multi-locus data and employ both gene concatenation and coalescent species-tree approaches in phylogenetic reconstruction and Bayesian divergence estimation. Species distribution modelling is used to assess the ecological preferences of three species and evaluate ecological interchangeability. Results The diversification time frame inferred for the basal split of Ummidia and subsequent diversification correlates with the tectonic movements involved in the phases of the opening of the Western Mediterranean. The basal split (24 Ma) correlates with the opening of the Valencia Trough, the split of the Maghrebian clade (16.54 Ma) with the separation of the Kabylies and Betic-Rif blocks. A back-colonization of the Iberian Peninsula from northern Africa was detected, presumably occurring via land bridges during the Messinian salinity crisis. The environmental preferences of Ummidia species indicate that U. algarve and adjacent Ummidia sp. 'Tarifa' are ecologically interchangeable. Main conclusions Tectonic movements involved in the opening of the Western Mediterranean shaped the distribution and diversity of extant Mediter-ranean Ummidia lineages. Despite the putative ability of Ummidia for airborne dispersal, observed phylogeographical patterns and isolation of ecologically interchangeable and geographically proximate species indicate that long-distance dispersal events are rare and the present-day distribution may be due to vicariant events driven by drifting microplates. Finally, several additional evolutionary independent lineages that may correspond to putative new species were detected.
Karyotype diversity of pseudoscorpions of the genus Chthonius (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) in the Alps, 2016
Citation: Kotrbová, J., Opatova, V., Gardini, G., & Šťáhlavský, F. (2016). Karyotype diversity of... more Citation: Kotrbová, J., Opatova, V., Gardini, G., & Šťáhlavský, F. (2016). Karyotype diversity of pseudoscorpions of the genus Chthonius (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) in the Alps. Comparative cytogenetics, 10(3), 325.
Pseudoscorpions are found in almost all terrestrial habitats. However, their uniform appearance presents a challenge for morphology-based taxonomy, which may underestimate the diversity of this order. We performed cytogenetic analyses on 11 pseudoscorpion species of the genus Chthonius C. L. Koch, 1843 from the Alps, including three subgenera: Chthonius (Chthonius) C. L. Koch, 1843, C. (Ephippiochthonius) Beier, 1930 and C. (Globochthonius) Beier, 1931 inhabiting this region. The results show that the male diploid number of chromosomes ranges from 21–35. The sex chromosome system X0 has been detected in all male specimens. The X sex chromosome is always metacentric and represents the largest chromosome in the nucleus. Achiasmatic meiosis, already known from the family Chthoniidae, was further confirmed in males of Chthonius. C-banding corroborated the localization of constitutive heterochromatin in the centromere region, which corresponds to heteropycnotic knobs on the standard chromosome preparations. Morphological types and size differentiation of chromosomes in the karyotype suggest that the main chromosomal rearrangements in the evolution of Chthonius are centric or tandem fusions resulting in a decrease in the number of chromosomes. Pericentric inversions, inducing the change of acrocentric chromosomes into biarmed chromosomes, could also be expected. Variability in chromosome morphology and number was detected in several species: C. (C.) ischnocheles (Hermann, 1804), C. (C.) raridentatus, C. (C.) rhodochelatus Hadži, 1930, and C. (C.) tenuis L. Koch, 1873. We discuss the intraspecific variability within these species and the potential existence of cryptic species.
Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae), 2014
Citation: Opatova V, Arnedo MA (2014) Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and P... more Citation: Opatova V, Arnedo MA (2014) Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae). PLoS ONE 9(12): e115078. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115078 Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.
The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae, comprising tarantulas, funnel-web spiders and the trap-door ... more The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae, comprising tarantulas, funnel-web spiders and the trap-door spiders, is one of the three main evolutionary lineages recognized within spiders. Its family level phylogenetic relationships are with a few exceptions relatively well solved, but its actual diversity in the Mediterranean region is probably underestimated. Because of the extremely low dispersal capacity, mygalomorph spiders usually show high levels of local endemism and deep population genetic structure, however, closely related species tend to be morphologically conservative. The low vagility and high habitat fidelity of mygalomorphs makes them a perfect model system for biogeographic studies as their distribution ranges are more likely to reflect geological processes such as continental break ups or tectonic plates rearrangements, while their conservative morphology makes them a good system to test species delimiting methods. The present Ph.D. thesis provides insights into the cryptic...
The family Hexathelidae ranks among the smaller mygalomorph spider families. Most species are end... more The family Hexathelidae ranks among the smaller mygalomorph spider families. Most species are endemic to the Australasian region and the family was traditionally considered an example of a Gondwanan lineage. However, recent studies have cast some doubt on the monophyly of the family. Macrothele is the only genus with an out-of-Gondwana distribution. The bulk of the Macrothele diversity is found in South-east Asia, few species are known from central Africa and two species inhabit Europe: Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) from the Iberian Peninsula and Macrothele cretica Kulczynski, 1903 endemic to Crete. Here we investigate the origins of the European Macrothele species by means of a multi-locus phylogenetic approach and by inferring the time frame of the diversification of the genus using Bayesian relaxed clock methods. We also provide further insights into the phylogenetic status of the family Hexathelidae. Our results indicate that the diversification of Macrothele traces ba...
The family Ctenizidae is a worldwide-distributed trapdoor spider group, with a modest number of g... more The family Ctenizidae is a worldwide-distributed trapdoor spider group, with a modest number of genera and species but interesting biogeography. Its monophyly has been questioned on the basis of both morphological and molecular evidence. The family is represented in the Mediterranean Basin by three genera and nine species: Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum, mostly endemic to the region, and Ummidia, long considered an anthropogenic introduction to the Mediterranean because the bulk of its diversity is in the New World. The taxonomic status of some of the species and genera (e.g. Mediterranean Ummidia species or Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum) has been called into question due to their close morphological affinities. Here, we use a multilocus approach that combines DNA sequence data from three nuclear genes 28S rRNA, EF1γ and H3 to investigate the origins and phylogenetic position of the Mediterranean taxa within the context of ctenizid generic-level diversity. For the first time, all known ctenizid genera are included in a phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, Bayesian relaxed clock methods and specific substitution rates are used to infer the timing of the group's diversification. Our results disagree with the traditional division of the family Ctenizidae into two subfamilies finding them polyphyletic and stress the need for re-evaluating the morphological characters that have been used in the group's classification. Time estimates indicate an ancient origin and long history of Mediterranean ctenizids. The present day disjunct distribution of Ummidia seems to be the result of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting a former Laurasian distribution of the genus that is further supported by Baltic amber fossils. Similarly, the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin has likely played a key role in the diversification of both Ummidia and Cteniza, whereas the origin of Cyrtocarenum species preceded the breakup of the former continuous landmass that formed the Aegean region. Deep divergence times and reciprocal monophyly support the status of Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum as independent evolutionary lineages. Alternatively, the taxonomic status of Ummidia with regard to the closely related genus Conothele remains unclear; a more thorough sampling of the latter is needed to evaluate whether the synonymy of the two genera is necessary.
Spiders represent one of the most studied arachnid orders. They are particularly intriguing from ... more Spiders represent one of the most studied arachnid orders. They are particularly intriguing from a cytogenetic point of view, due to their complex and dynamic sex chromosome determination systems. Despite intensive research on this group, cytogenetic data from African spiders are still mostly lacking. In this study, we describe the karyotypes of 38 species of spiders belonging to 16 entelegyne families from South Africa and Namibia. In the majority of analysed families, the observed chromosome numbers and morphology (mainly acrocentric) did not deviate from the family-level cytogenetic characteristics based on material from other continents: Tetragnathidae (2n♂ = 24), Ctenidae and Oxyopidae (2n♂ = 28), Sparassidae (2n♂ = 42), Gnaphosidae, Trachelidae and Trochanteriidae (2n♂ = 22), and Salticidae (2n♂ = 28). On the other hand, we identified interspecific variability within Hersiliidae (2n♂ = 33 and 35), Oecobiidae (2n♂ = 19 and 25), Selenopidae (2n♂ = 26 and 29) and Theridiidae (2n♂...
The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is one of the three main lineages of spiders comprising over 3,000 n... more The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is one of the three main lineages of spiders comprising over 3,000 nominal species. This ancient group has a world-wide distribution that includes among its ranks large and charismatic taxa such as tarantulas, trapdoor spiders, and highly venomous funnel web spiders. Based on past molecular studies using Sanger-sequencing approaches, numerous mygalomorph families (e.g., Hexathelidae, Ctenizidae, Cyrtaucheniidae, Dipluridae and Nemesiidae) have been identified as non-monophyletic. However, these data were unable to sufficiently resolve the higher-level (intra- and interfamilial) relationships such that the necessary changes in classification could be made with confidence. Here we present the most comprehensive phylogenomic treatment of the spider infraorder Mygalomorphae conducted to date. We employ 472 loci obtained through Anchored Hybrid Enrichment to reconstruct relationships among all the mygalomorph spider families and estimate the timeframe of thei...
Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, Jan 12, 2018
The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine gener... more The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine genera and 135 species. However, the monophyly of this group has long been questioned on both morphological and molecular grounds. Here, we use Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) to gather hundreds of loci from across the genome for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among the nine genera and test the monophyly of the family. We also reconstruct the possible ancestral ranges of the most inclusive clade recovered. Using AHE, we generate a supermatrix of 565 loci and 115,209 bp for 27 individuals. For the first time, analyses using all nine genera produce results definitively establishing the non-monophyly of Ctenizidae. A lineage formed exclusively by representatives of South African Stasimopus was placed as the sister group to the remaining taxa in the tree, and the Mediterranean Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum were recovered with high support as sister to exemplars of Euctenizidae, Migidae...
A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in a... more A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semi-quantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information. We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a hi...
Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae), 2018
Citation: Opatova, V., & Št'áhlavský, F. (2018). Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudosco... more Citation: Opatova, V., & Št'áhlavský, F. (2018). Phoretic or not? Phylogeography of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae). The Journal of Arachnology, 46(1), 104-113. An organism's ability to respond to ecological changes at its currently inhabited location, and to colonize a new one, is particularly important for organisms inhabiting ephemeral habitats. Phoresy, which involves attaching of a non-vagile individual to a selected carrier of a different species, is used by a wide variety of taxa, but surprisingly little is known about the genetic structure of phoretic species. A better understanding of their genetic structure would help elucidate the efficacy of this manner of dispersal. In this study, we analyse the phylogeographic patterns of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (C.L. Koch, 1839) across a 1830 km range, encompassing most of the species' distribution range in Europe. The lack of geographic structure and low divergences within the two main clades suggest that C. hahnii disperses by phoresy. Individuals shared haplotypes at localities 350 km apart and very little divergence was detected between localities over 1450 km away from each other, indicating that phoresy is a very efficient manner of dispersal in this species. We also detected highly divergent populations within C. hahnii; however, more material and additional data would be necessary in order to evaluate the potential existence of cryptic diversity within this species.
Taxonomic revision and insights into the speciation mode of the spider Dysdera erythrina species-complex (Araneae : Dysderidae): sibling species with sympatric distributions, 2018
Citation: Řezáč, M., Arnedo, M. A., Opatova, V., Musilová, J., Řezáčová, V., & Král, J. (2018). T... more Citation: Řezáč, M., Arnedo, M. A., Opatova, V., Musilová, J., Řezáčová, V., & Král, J. (2018). Taxonomic revision and insights into the speciation mode of the spider Dysdera erythrina species-complex (Araneae: Dysderidae): sibling species with sympatric distributions. Invertebrate Systematics, 32(1), 10-54. The genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804, a species-rich group of spiders that includes specialised predators of woodlice, contains several complexes of morphologically similar sibling species. Here we investigate species limits in the D. erythrina (Walckenaer, 1802) complex by integrating phenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular data, and use this information to gain further knowledge on its origin and evolution. We describe 16 new species and redescribe four poorly known species belonging to this clade. The distribution of most of the species in the complex is limited to southern France and the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The species studied do not show any obvious differences in habitat preference, and some of them even occur sympatrically at certain sites. They probably feed on the same type of prey as they readily capture woodlice. On the other hand, they differ in body size, mouthparts shape, sculpturing of carapace, morphology of the copulatory organs, karyotype and DNA sequences. Experimental interspecific mating showed a partial precopulatory behavioural barrier between D. erythrina and D. cechica, sp. nov. Our data suggest that karyotype evolution of the complex included chromosome fusions and fissions as well as translocations (between autosomes as well as autosomes and sex chromosomes). We hypothesise that chromosome rearrangements generating reproductive incompatibility played a primary role in speciation within Dysdera complexes. Dysdera spiders are poor dispersers, and their original distribution areas (forested areas in the Mediterranean) were repeatedly fragmented during Quarternary climatic oscillations, facilitating integration of chromosome rearrangements into karyotypes by genetic drift. Sympatric occurrence of closely related species may have been promoted by prey segregation as suggested by differentiation in body size in co-occurring species. The following new species are described: D.
A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) communities associated to white oak woodlands in Spanish National Parks, 2018
Citation: Crespo, Luís C., et al. "A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arac... more Citation: Crespo, Luís C., et al. "A DNA barcode-assisted annotated checklist of the spider (Arachnida, Araneae) communities associated to white oak woodlands in Spanish National Parks." Biodiversity Data Journal 6 (2018). Background A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semiquantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information. New information We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a higher proportion of Iberian and Mediterranean species than the northern parks, where the Palearctic elements were largely dominant. The analysis of approximately 3,200 DNA barcodes generated in the present study, corroborated and provided finer resolution to the morphologically based delimitation and identification of specimens in some taxonomically challenging families. Specifically, molecular data confirmed putative new species with diagnosable morphology, identified overlooked lineages that may constitute new species, confirmed assignment of specimens of unknown sexes to species and identified cases of misidentifications and phenotypic polymorphisms.
Uncovering the role of the Western Mediterranean tectonics in shaping the diversity and distribution of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia (Araneae, Ctenizidae), 2016
Citation: Opatova, V., Bond, J. E., & Arnedo, M. A. (2016). Uncovering the role of the Western Me... more Citation: Opatova, V., Bond, J. E., & Arnedo, M. A. (2016). Uncovering the role of the Western Mediterranean tectonics in shaping the diversity and distribution of the trap‐door spider genus Ummidia (Araneae, Ctenizidae). Journal of Biogeography, 43(10), 1955-1966. Aim We test the hypothesis that the opening of the Western Mediterranean basin drove the diversification of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia by reconstructing the phylogeny and inferring a temporal framework of diversification. Additionally, we assess niche interchangeability of three Ummidia species to test the role of dispersal in shaping their present-day distribution. Location Western Mediterranean, encompassing the known distribution range of Ummidia on the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Methods We use multi-locus data and employ both gene concatenation and coalescent species-tree approaches in phylogenetic reconstruction and Bayesian divergence estimation. Species distribution modelling is used to assess the ecological preferences of three species and evaluate ecological interchangeability. Results The diversification time frame inferred for the basal split of Ummidia and subsequent diversification correlates with the tectonic movements involved in the phases of the opening of the Western Mediterranean. The basal split (24 Ma) correlates with the opening of the Valencia Trough, the split of the Maghrebian clade (16.54 Ma) with the separation of the Kabylies and Betic-Rif blocks. A back-colonization of the Iberian Peninsula from northern Africa was detected, presumably occurring via land bridges during the Messinian salinity crisis. The environmental preferences of Ummidia species indicate that U. algarve and adjacent Ummidia sp. 'Tarifa' are ecologically interchangeable. Main conclusions Tectonic movements involved in the opening of the Western Mediterranean shaped the distribution and diversity of extant Mediter-ranean Ummidia lineages. Despite the putative ability of Ummidia for airborne dispersal, observed phylogeographical patterns and isolation of ecologically interchangeable and geographically proximate species indicate that long-distance dispersal events are rare and the present-day distribution may be due to vicariant events driven by drifting microplates. Finally, several additional evolutionary independent lineages that may correspond to putative new species were detected.
Karyotype diversity of pseudoscorpions of the genus Chthonius (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) in the Alps, 2016
Citation: Kotrbová, J., Opatova, V., Gardini, G., & Šťáhlavský, F. (2016). Karyotype diversity of... more Citation: Kotrbová, J., Opatova, V., Gardini, G., & Šťáhlavský, F. (2016). Karyotype diversity of pseudoscorpions of the genus Chthonius (Pseudoscorpiones, Chthoniidae) in the Alps. Comparative cytogenetics, 10(3), 325.
Pseudoscorpions are found in almost all terrestrial habitats. However, their uniform appearance presents a challenge for morphology-based taxonomy, which may underestimate the diversity of this order. We performed cytogenetic analyses on 11 pseudoscorpion species of the genus Chthonius C. L. Koch, 1843 from the Alps, including three subgenera: Chthonius (Chthonius) C. L. Koch, 1843, C. (Ephippiochthonius) Beier, 1930 and C. (Globochthonius) Beier, 1931 inhabiting this region. The results show that the male diploid number of chromosomes ranges from 21–35. The sex chromosome system X0 has been detected in all male specimens. The X sex chromosome is always metacentric and represents the largest chromosome in the nucleus. Achiasmatic meiosis, already known from the family Chthoniidae, was further confirmed in males of Chthonius. C-banding corroborated the localization of constitutive heterochromatin in the centromere region, which corresponds to heteropycnotic knobs on the standard chromosome preparations. Morphological types and size differentiation of chromosomes in the karyotype suggest that the main chromosomal rearrangements in the evolution of Chthonius are centric or tandem fusions resulting in a decrease in the number of chromosomes. Pericentric inversions, inducing the change of acrocentric chromosomes into biarmed chromosomes, could also be expected. Variability in chromosome morphology and number was detected in several species: C. (C.) ischnocheles (Hermann, 1804), C. (C.) raridentatus, C. (C.) rhodochelatus Hadži, 1930, and C. (C.) tenuis L. Koch, 1873. We discuss the intraspecific variability within these species and the potential existence of cryptic species.
Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae), 2014
Citation: Opatova V, Arnedo MA (2014) Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and P... more Citation: Opatova V, Arnedo MA (2014) Spiders on a Hot Volcanic Roof: Colonisation Pathways and Phylogeography of the Canary Islands Endemic Trap-Door Spider Titanidiops canariensis (Araneae, Idiopidae). PLoS ONE 9(12): e115078. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115078 Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.
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Papers by Vera Opatova
An organism's ability to respond to ecological changes at its currently inhabited location, and to colonize a new one, is particularly important for organisms inhabiting ephemeral habitats. Phoresy, which involves attaching of a non-vagile individual to a selected carrier of a different species, is used by a wide variety of taxa, but surprisingly little is known about the genetic structure of phoretic species. A better understanding of their genetic structure would help elucidate the efficacy of this manner of dispersal. In this study, we analyse the phylogeographic patterns of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (C.L. Koch, 1839) across a 1830 km range, encompassing most of the species' distribution range in Europe. The lack of geographic structure and low divergences within the two main clades suggest that C. hahnii disperses by phoresy. Individuals shared haplotypes at localities 350 km apart and very little divergence was detected between localities over 1450 km away from each other, indicating that phoresy is a very efficient manner of dispersal in this species. We also detected highly divergent populations within C. hahnii; however, more material and additional data would be necessary in order to evaluate the potential existence of cryptic diversity within this species.
The genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804, a species-rich group of spiders that includes specialised predators of woodlice, contains several complexes of morphologically similar sibling species. Here we investigate species limits in the D. erythrina (Walckenaer, 1802) complex by integrating phenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular data, and use this information to gain further knowledge on its origin and evolution. We describe 16 new species and redescribe four poorly known species belonging to this clade. The distribution of most of the species in the complex is limited to southern France and the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The species studied do not show any obvious differences in habitat preference, and some of them even occur sympatrically at certain sites. They probably feed on the same type of prey as they readily capture woodlice. On the other hand, they differ in body size, mouthparts shape, sculpturing of carapace, morphology of the copulatory organs, karyotype and DNA sequences. Experimental interspecific mating showed a partial precopulatory behavioural barrier between D. erythrina and D. cechica, sp. nov. Our data suggest that karyotype evolution of the complex included chromosome fusions and fissions as well as translocations (between autosomes as well as autosomes and sex chromosomes). We hypothesise that chromosome rearrangements generating reproductive incompatibility played a primary role in speciation within Dysdera complexes. Dysdera spiders are poor dispersers, and their original distribution areas (forested areas in the Mediterranean) were repeatedly fragmented during Quarternary climatic oscillations, facilitating integration of chromosome rearrangements into karyotypes by genetic drift. Sympatric occurrence of closely related species may have been promoted by prey segregation as suggested by differentiation in body size in co-occurring species. The following new species are described: D.
Background
A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semiquantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information.
New information
We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a higher proportion of Iberian and Mediterranean species than the northern parks, where the Palearctic elements were largely dominant. The analysis of approximately 3,200 DNA barcodes generated in the present study, corroborated and provided finer resolution to the morphologically based delimitation and identification of specimens in some taxonomically challenging families. Specifically, molecular data confirmed putative new species with diagnosable morphology, identified overlooked lineages that may constitute new species, confirmed assignment of specimens of unknown sexes to species and identified cases of misidentifications and phenotypic polymorphisms.
Aim We test the hypothesis that the opening of the Western Mediterranean basin drove the diversification of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia by reconstructing the phylogeny and inferring a temporal framework of diversification. Additionally, we assess niche interchangeability of three Ummidia species to test the role of dispersal in shaping their present-day distribution. Location Western Mediterranean, encompassing the known distribution range of Ummidia on the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Methods We use multi-locus data and employ both gene concatenation and coalescent species-tree approaches in phylogenetic reconstruction and Bayesian divergence estimation. Species distribution modelling is used to assess the ecological preferences of three species and evaluate ecological interchangeability. Results The diversification time frame inferred for the basal split of Ummidia and subsequent diversification correlates with the tectonic movements involved in the phases of the opening of the Western Mediterranean. The basal split (24 Ma) correlates with the opening of the Valencia Trough, the split of the Maghrebian clade (16.54 Ma) with the separation of the Kabylies and Betic-Rif blocks. A back-colonization of the Iberian Peninsula from northern Africa was detected, presumably occurring via land bridges during the Messinian salinity crisis. The environmental preferences of Ummidia species indicate that U. algarve and adjacent Ummidia sp. 'Tarifa' are ecologically interchangeable. Main conclusions Tectonic movements involved in the opening of the Western Mediterranean shaped the distribution and diversity of extant Mediter-ranean Ummidia lineages. Despite the putative ability of Ummidia for airborne dispersal, observed phylogeographical patterns and isolation of ecologically interchangeable and geographically proximate species indicate that long-distance dispersal events are rare and the present-day distribution may be due to vicariant events driven by drifting microplates. Finally, several additional evolutionary independent lineages that may correspond to putative new species were detected.
Pseudoscorpions are found in almost all terrestrial habitats. However, their uniform appearance presents a challenge for morphology-based taxonomy, which may underestimate the diversity of this order. We performed cytogenetic analyses on 11 pseudoscorpion species of the genus Chthonius C. L. Koch, 1843 from the Alps, including three subgenera: Chthonius (Chthonius) C. L. Koch, 1843, C. (Ephippiochthonius) Beier, 1930 and C. (Globochthonius) Beier, 1931 inhabiting this region. The results show that the male diploid number of chromosomes ranges from 21–35. The sex chromosome system X0 has been detected in all male specimens. The X sex chromosome is always metacentric and represents the largest chromosome in the nucleus. Achiasmatic meiosis, already known from the family Chthoniidae, was further confirmed in males of Chthonius. C-banding corroborated the localization of constitutive heterochromatin in the centromere region, which corresponds to heteropycnotic knobs on the standard chromosome preparations. Morphological types and size differentiation of chromosomes in the karyotype suggest that the main chromosomal rearrangements in the evolution of Chthonius are centric or tandem fusions resulting in a decrease in the number of chromosomes. Pericentric inversions, inducing the change of acrocentric chromosomes into biarmed chromosomes, could also be expected. Variability in chromosome morphology and number was detected in several species: C. (C.) ischnocheles (Hermann, 1804), C. (C.) raridentatus, C. (C.) rhodochelatus Hadži, 1930, and C. (C.) tenuis L. Koch, 1873. We discuss the intraspecific variability within these species and the potential existence of cryptic species.
Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current
understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands
of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the
islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern
African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.
An organism's ability to respond to ecological changes at its currently inhabited location, and to colonize a new one, is particularly important for organisms inhabiting ephemeral habitats. Phoresy, which involves attaching of a non-vagile individual to a selected carrier of a different species, is used by a wide variety of taxa, but surprisingly little is known about the genetic structure of phoretic species. A better understanding of their genetic structure would help elucidate the efficacy of this manner of dispersal. In this study, we analyse the phylogeographic patterns of the pseudoscorpion Chernes hahnii (C.L. Koch, 1839) across a 1830 km range, encompassing most of the species' distribution range in Europe. The lack of geographic structure and low divergences within the two main clades suggest that C. hahnii disperses by phoresy. Individuals shared haplotypes at localities 350 km apart and very little divergence was detected between localities over 1450 km away from each other, indicating that phoresy is a very efficient manner of dispersal in this species. We also detected highly divergent populations within C. hahnii; however, more material and additional data would be necessary in order to evaluate the potential existence of cryptic diversity within this species.
The genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804, a species-rich group of spiders that includes specialised predators of woodlice, contains several complexes of morphologically similar sibling species. Here we investigate species limits in the D. erythrina (Walckenaer, 1802) complex by integrating phenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular data, and use this information to gain further knowledge on its origin and evolution. We describe 16 new species and redescribe four poorly known species belonging to this clade. The distribution of most of the species in the complex is limited to southern France and the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. The species studied do not show any obvious differences in habitat preference, and some of them even occur sympatrically at certain sites. They probably feed on the same type of prey as they readily capture woodlice. On the other hand, they differ in body size, mouthparts shape, sculpturing of carapace, morphology of the copulatory organs, karyotype and DNA sequences. Experimental interspecific mating showed a partial precopulatory behavioural barrier between D. erythrina and D. cechica, sp. nov. Our data suggest that karyotype evolution of the complex included chromosome fusions and fissions as well as translocations (between autosomes as well as autosomes and sex chromosomes). We hypothesise that chromosome rearrangements generating reproductive incompatibility played a primary role in speciation within Dysdera complexes. Dysdera spiders are poor dispersers, and their original distribution areas (forested areas in the Mediterranean) were repeatedly fragmented during Quarternary climatic oscillations, facilitating integration of chromosome rearrangements into karyotypes by genetic drift. Sympatric occurrence of closely related species may have been promoted by prey segregation as suggested by differentiation in body size in co-occurring species. The following new species are described: D.
Background
A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semiquantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information.
New information
We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a higher proportion of Iberian and Mediterranean species than the northern parks, where the Palearctic elements were largely dominant. The analysis of approximately 3,200 DNA barcodes generated in the present study, corroborated and provided finer resolution to the morphologically based delimitation and identification of specimens in some taxonomically challenging families. Specifically, molecular data confirmed putative new species with diagnosable morphology, identified overlooked lineages that may constitute new species, confirmed assignment of specimens of unknown sexes to species and identified cases of misidentifications and phenotypic polymorphisms.
Aim We test the hypothesis that the opening of the Western Mediterranean basin drove the diversification of the trap-door spider genus Ummidia by reconstructing the phylogeny and inferring a temporal framework of diversification. Additionally, we assess niche interchangeability of three Ummidia species to test the role of dispersal in shaping their present-day distribution. Location Western Mediterranean, encompassing the known distribution range of Ummidia on the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Africa. Methods We use multi-locus data and employ both gene concatenation and coalescent species-tree approaches in phylogenetic reconstruction and Bayesian divergence estimation. Species distribution modelling is used to assess the ecological preferences of three species and evaluate ecological interchangeability. Results The diversification time frame inferred for the basal split of Ummidia and subsequent diversification correlates with the tectonic movements involved in the phases of the opening of the Western Mediterranean. The basal split (24 Ma) correlates with the opening of the Valencia Trough, the split of the Maghrebian clade (16.54 Ma) with the separation of the Kabylies and Betic-Rif blocks. A back-colonization of the Iberian Peninsula from northern Africa was detected, presumably occurring via land bridges during the Messinian salinity crisis. The environmental preferences of Ummidia species indicate that U. algarve and adjacent Ummidia sp. 'Tarifa' are ecologically interchangeable. Main conclusions Tectonic movements involved in the opening of the Western Mediterranean shaped the distribution and diversity of extant Mediter-ranean Ummidia lineages. Despite the putative ability of Ummidia for airborne dispersal, observed phylogeographical patterns and isolation of ecologically interchangeable and geographically proximate species indicate that long-distance dispersal events are rare and the present-day distribution may be due to vicariant events driven by drifting microplates. Finally, several additional evolutionary independent lineages that may correspond to putative new species were detected.
Pseudoscorpions are found in almost all terrestrial habitats. However, their uniform appearance presents a challenge for morphology-based taxonomy, which may underestimate the diversity of this order. We performed cytogenetic analyses on 11 pseudoscorpion species of the genus Chthonius C. L. Koch, 1843 from the Alps, including three subgenera: Chthonius (Chthonius) C. L. Koch, 1843, C. (Ephippiochthonius) Beier, 1930 and C. (Globochthonius) Beier, 1931 inhabiting this region. The results show that the male diploid number of chromosomes ranges from 21–35. The sex chromosome system X0 has been detected in all male specimens. The X sex chromosome is always metacentric and represents the largest chromosome in the nucleus. Achiasmatic meiosis, already known from the family Chthoniidae, was further confirmed in males of Chthonius. C-banding corroborated the localization of constitutive heterochromatin in the centromere region, which corresponds to heteropycnotic knobs on the standard chromosome preparations. Morphological types and size differentiation of chromosomes in the karyotype suggest that the main chromosomal rearrangements in the evolution of Chthonius are centric or tandem fusions resulting in a decrease in the number of chromosomes. Pericentric inversions, inducing the change of acrocentric chromosomes into biarmed chromosomes, could also be expected. Variability in chromosome morphology and number was detected in several species: C. (C.) ischnocheles (Hermann, 1804), C. (C.) raridentatus, C. (C.) rhodochelatus Hadži, 1930, and C. (C.) tenuis L. Koch, 1873. We discuss the intraspecific variability within these species and the potential existence of cryptic species.
Studies conducted on volcanic islands have greatly contributed to our current
understanding of how organisms diversify. The Canary Islands archipelago, located northwest of the coast of northern Africa, harbours a large number of endemic taxa. Because of their low vagility, mygalomorph spiders are usually absent from oceanic islands. The spider Titanidiops canariensis, which inhabits the easternmost islands
of the archipelago, constitutes an exception to this rule. Here, we use a multi-locus approach that combines three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes to investigate the origins and phylogeography of this remarkable trap-door spider. We provide a timeframe for the colonisation of the Canary Islands using two alternative approaches: concatenation and species tree inference in a Bayesian relaxed clock framework. Additionally, we investigate the existence of cryptic species on the
islands by means of a Bayesian multi-locus species delimitation method. Our results indicate that T. canariensis colonised the Canary Islands once, most likely during the Miocene, although discrepancies between the timeframes from different approaches make the exact timing uncertain. A complex evolutionary history for the species in the archipelago is revealed, which involves two independent colonisations of Fuerteventura from the ancestral range of T. canariensis in northern Lanzarote and a possible back colonisation of southern Lanzarote. The data further corroborate a previously proposed volcanic refugium, highlighting the impact of the dynamic volcanic history of the island on the phylogeographic patterns of the endemic taxa. T. canariensis includes at least two different species, one inhabiting the Jandia peninsula and central Fuerteventura and one spanning from central Fuerteventura to Lanzarote. Our data suggest that the extant northern
African Titanidiops lineages may have expanded to the region after the islands were colonised and, hence, are not the source of colonisation. In addition, T. maroccanus may harbour several cryptic species.