Spinneret Spigot Morphology in Synaphrid Spiders (Araneae, Synaphridae), with Comments on the Systematics of the Family and Description of a New Species of Synaphris Simon 1894 from Spain

Putative synapomorphies proposed here include a distinct constriction on the tarsusmetatarsus joints; a cheliceral keel ending in a strong promarginal cheliceral tooth; scarce number of maxillary setae; distal maxillary setae clavate; and a characteristic palpal morphology, comprising a distinctive tibial morphology, a modified cymbium with two separate areas, a palpal dorsal translucent expansion of the embolar base, a retrolateral paracymbium, a reduced furrow separating the major ampullate field from the piriform field, and the retention of at least one triad spigot in males.

Refuted synapomorphies are the metatarsal subdistal anastomosed lyriform organ, the notched tibial trichobothrial base, and the tarsal pseudosegmentation. We also discuss the phylogenetic placement of the family, suggesting a close relationship to the araneoid Cyatholipidae. 1 Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20052, USA (laralo@gwu.edu). 2 Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University), 2023 G St.

NW, Washington, D.C. 20052, USA (hormiga@gwu.edu). 3 Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (SEA), Avenida Radio Juventud 37, 50012 Zaragoza, Spain (amelic@telefonica.net). Fig. 1. Map showing the geographic distribution of the described species of Cepheia and Synaphris around the Mediterranean region in Europe.

For the geographic distribution of the recent species from Madagascar, see Miller (in press). For Synaphris, each location represents one described species. For Cepheia, all locations represent the geographical distribution of Cepheia longiseta.

INTRODUCTION The recently erected araneoid spider family Synaphridae Wunderlich 1986 (Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003, see also Schütt, 2003) comprises two genera of minute spiders: the monotypic Cepheia Simon 1894, from southern Europe, and Synaphris Simon 1894, with seven species described from the Canary Islands, Croatia, Ukraine, Turkmenistan, and Egypt (fig. 1; Platnick, 2006). Two new Synaphris species and a third synaphrid genus from Madagascar are currently being described (Miller, in press).

Recent studies (Miller, in press; Marusik et al., 2005; Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003; Schütt, 2003) have proposed putative synapomorphies in support of the monophyly of the family and/or of the genus Synaphris. The familial synapomorphies include a cheliceral keel that ends in a single strong prolateral tooth (Wunderlich, 1986, 1995; ‘‘tooth-like projection’’, Schütt, 2003; also‘ ‘process with pointed tip’’, Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003); presence of paracymbium; cymbium modified into a rounded lobe; palpal tibia pressed against the cymbial base and with two pits (Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003: 147, fig. 17; see Discussion below); a flattened and transparent extension of the embolic base called lamella; absence of leg spines; tarsi longer than metatarsi; a notched tibial trichobothrial base; anastomosing lyriform organs on subdistal metatarsi (all features above from Marusik and Lehtinen, 2003); embolar and cymbial conductor; and pseudosegmentation of tarsi (Marusik et al., 2005).

Most of the features listed above were observed in only one or two Synaphris species and generalized for the family. No detailed study of the morphology of Cepheia longiseta and of most Synaphris species has ever been done, and their spinneret spigot morphology remains undescribed. Given the importance of spigot morphology for reconstructing the cladistic relationships of araneoid families (e.g., Griswold et al., 1998, 2005) the study of this character system should contribute to understanding the phylogenetic position of synaphrids.

In this paper we describe for the first time the spigot morphology of two synaphrid species (one of each of two synaphrid genera; see also Miller, in press, for the spinneret spigot morphology of three recently described synaphrid species). We also provide a taxonomic description of a new species of Synaphris from Spain, including detailed information about the external morphology and the tracheal system. We discuss some of the morphological features of synaphrids and their potential value as systematic characters.

The new species is the first record of the genus Synaphris for the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, we report the first records of Cepheia from Portugal and the Baleares Islands.