Molecular and Morphological Systematics of the Spider Infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae)

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AbstractThe spider infraorder Mygalomorphae includes tarantula, baboon, trapdoor, purse web, and funnel web spiders. While not as diverse as its sister lineage the Aranemorphae ("true" spiders, for example the orb weavers), mygalomorphs are rich in species (over 2,500 species in 280 genera placed in 15 families) and use silks to build an amazing diversity of nests. These silk constructs, generally regarded as primitive, include trapdoors, collars, turrets, tubes, funnels, sheets, and space filling webs. Although these spiders show many interesting and unstudied patterns of morphology and show classic biogeographical patterns (e.g., members of the same family occurring in New Zealand, Madagascar, South Africa, and southern South America), much of the phylogeny of this group remains unresolved. Furthermore, all mygalomorph phylogenetic studies to date have relied solely on morphological characters, thus lacking independentcorroboration. This study examines mygalomorph phylogeny using an integrated set of both morphological and molecular characters. Specimens collected in North, South, and Central America, Southern Africa, Asia, and Western Australia will be used in conjunction with specimens from major museum collections, for molecular, morphological, and natural history studies. Digitized images of all morphological characters scored and detailed natural history notes will be made available on the World Wide Web as part of a myglomorph internet database. The resulting phylogeny will support studies of the origin and diversification of silk use and spinning structures, the relationship between silk use, habits and convergent evolution, and the influence of miniaturization on morphological change. This is the first analysis of molecular sequence data for this important taxon. And two graduate students will be trained in spider systematics, an area with inadequate existing expertise.