Systematics and Evolution of Subsaharan Pholcus spiders and potential close relatives

目前有124个已描述的物种，Pholcus是蜘蛛科中最大的属，其模式物种Pholcus phalangioides是欧洲最常见的家蜘蛛之一，也是一种有价值的模式物种。然而，这个群体几十年来一直被忽视。事实上，从未对该属进行过修订，而且世界上很少有分类学家拥有相关的专业知识来进行这样一项姗姗姗姗来的修订。兰花主要局限于未受干扰的热带和亚热带森林。因此，其最高的生物多样性集中在世界上受森林砍伐威胁最严重的地区。来自博物馆和最近探险的未发表材料记录了一种意想不到的物种丰富程度。例如，目前已知的撒哈拉以南非洲地区只有23种狐猴和可能的近亲Leptopholcus，但申请人迄今所见的标本中却有大约100种。本研究的目的是记录和分析撒哈拉以南非洲狐猴及其潜在近亲的生物多样性。这种修正的基础是形态学物种描述，包括超微结构、变异分析和形态学特征的枝系分析。这将与基于分子数据的系统发育分析和分子分类学相结合，作为测试从形态学假设的物种边界的手段。资金主要用于三个方面：1)考察以获取适合分子分析的材料；2)在分子实验室做日常工作的学生研究助理；3)分子工作耗材。

With currently 124 described species, Pholcus is the largest genus in the spider family Pholcidae, with the type species Pholcus phalangioides one of the commonest house spiders in Europe and a valued model species. However, the group as such has been neglected for many decades. In fact, no revision has ever been done of the genus, and few taxonomists remain worldwide with relevant expertise to do such a long overdue revision.Pholcids are largely restricted to undisturbed tropical and subtropical forests. Their highest biodiversity thus concentrates in those areas worldwide that are most severely threatened by deforestation. Unpublished material from museums and from recent expeditions documents an unforeseen species richness of the genus Pholcus. For example, only 23 species of Pholcus and of the potential close relative Leptopholcus are currently known from Subsaharan Africa, but about 100 species are present in collections seen so far by the applicant.The aim of this study is to document and analyse the biodiversity of Subsaharan Pholcus and potential close relatives. The basis of such a revision are morphological species descriptions, including ultrastructure, analysis of variation, and cladistic analysis of morphological characters. This will be combined with phylogenetic analyses based on molecular data and with molecular taxonomy as a means to test species boundaries hypothesized from morphology. Funding is sought for three main aspects: 1) expeditions to acquire material suited for molecular analyses; 2) a student research assistant for routine work in the molecular lab; 3) consumables for molecular work.