MICRODIPOENA BANKS 1895

(FIGS 17–27, 129A, B, D–F, 132, 141J–O, 142A,B: CLADE C125)

Mysmena Simon, 1895b: 149 . Bishop & Crosby, 1926: 177. Levi, 1956: 8. Forster, 1959: 306. Kraus, 1967: 392. Gruia, 1977: 162. Shinkai, 1977: 326. Roberts, 1978: 932. Wunderlich, 1980b: 267; 1986: 222. Kasal, 1982: 75. Heimer & Nentwig, 1991: 306.

Microdipoena Banks, 1895: 85 . Saaristo, 1978: 124–125 (rejected synonymy to Mysmena by Bishop & Crosby, 1926: 177). Brignoli, 1980: 731 (rejected synonymy to Mysmena by Bishop & Crosby, 1926: 177). Baert, 1984b: 608; 1985: 51; 1989: 29.

Anjouanella Baert, 1986: 265 (type species by monotypy A. comorensis Baert, 1986, type material in MRAC, examined). New synonymy.

Mysmenella Brignoli, 1980: 731 (transfer from Mysmena, type Mysmena illectrix Simon, 1895b, type material in MNHN, examined). Baert, 1984a: 240 (transfer from Mysmena); 1989: 32. Namkung & Lee, 1987: 46. Coddington, 1990: 19. Thaler & Noflatscher, 1990: 174. Namkung, 2002: 146; 2003: 148. Wunderlich, 2004: 1073 (considered a junior synonym of Mysmena Simon, 1894). Yin et al., 2004: 80. Lee et al., 2004: 100. Trotta, 2005: 170. Ono, 2007: 170. New synonymy.

Type species

Microdipoena guttata Banks, 1895 by original designation, type material in MCZ, examined.

Familial placement, composition, and re-circumscription

Our working phylogenetic hypothesis places Microdipoena sister to Brasilionata within the mysmenine clade C128, which also comprises Mysmeniola and MYSM-019-MAD. Microdipoena comprises four described species (Platnick, 2014) and under the current re-circumscription, 11 other described species are transferred here (a total of 15 described species). Microdipoena is here represented by seven described plus two undescribed species (Fig. 161B; the latter two species are scored only for molecular characters): M. guttata, M. elsae, M. nyungwe, M. samoensis comb. nov. (from Mysmenella), M. jobi comb. nov. (from Mysmenella), M. illectrix comb. nov., M. comorensis comb. nov., Microdipoena -AToL-DR, and MYSM-030- MAD.

Monophyly, diagnosis, and synonymy justification The following combination of morphological synapomorphies is unique and therefore diagnostic for Microdipoena (and are shared among all Microdipoena representatives, unless noted): abdomen with a whitish ventral ring around the spinnerets (Fig. 142A; except Anjouanella, with all ventral abdominal area lighter, Fig. 141J–L); males with two prolateral apical clasping spines on tibia I (Figs 26C, 27I, 141K, L, O), thick embolus with an apical switch in the coiling direction (Figs 18C, D, F, 27C, 132B, D, E; also in Brasilionata), and with either a distal apophysis (Fig. 18F) or a distal irregular membrane (Fig. 27A– C; except in Anjouanella, without modifications), spermatic duct switchback SB I parallel, with the portions of the spermatic duct before and after the switch SB I run close with each other and with one pair of extra switches (SB III and IV, Fig. 132B–E); and small paracymbium (Figs 17C, 22G, 27B). As most Microdipoena representatives in this data set were scored only for morphology, no molecular synapomorphies optimize at the node of this genus; however, its distal clade (clade C172), which includes the only sequenced species of this genus, is supported by 92 molecular synapomorphies. Previous diagnoses for Microdipoena s.s., Mysmenella, and Anjouanella are in agreement with the current diagnosis of the enlarged Microdipoena (see e.g. Banks, 1895; Brignoli, 1980; Baert, 1986).