PHOLCOMMATINAE, Simon, 1894

Agnarsson, Ingi, 2004, Morphological phylogeny of cobweb spiders and their relatives (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 141 (4), pp. 447-626 : 468

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00120.x

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/7E1687E1-422B-6C1F-FE89-FA308F76FA8E

treatment provided by

Diego

scientific name

PHOLCOMMATINAE
status

 

PHOLCOMMATINAE : CLADE 42

Pholcommatinae (see Kaston, 1981: 94) is based on Simon’s (1894) tribal group Pholcommateae, and here includes Enoplognatha View in CoL , Selkirkiella View in CoL , Cerocida View in CoL , Phoroncidia View in CoL , Stemmops View in CoL , Pholcomma View in CoL , Carniella View in CoL and Robertus View in CoL .

Unambiguous synapomorphies of the Pholcommatinae include: cymbial hook pointing upwards (34, Figs 66B View Figure 66 , 67D, E View Figure 67 ), cymbial hook on ectal margin (35, Figs 66B, C View Figure 66 , 67E View Figure 67 , 92L View Figure 92 ), TTA grooved (83, Figs 44C View Figure 44 , 60B, C View Figure 60 ), portions of E spiral entirely enclosed in TTA (87, Fig. 44C View Figure 44 ), E base shifted ectally and partially hidden by cymbium (89, Fig. 60A–C View Figure 60 ), AME small (104), PLS AG parallel (218, Figs 45B View Figure 45 , 63C, D View Figure 63 ).

The composition of this subfamily is uncertain: Phoroncidia , Stemmops and Cerocida all lack some of the unambiguous synapomorphies of the clade, and may be misplaced here (see also Arnedo et al., 2004). Phoroncidia , indeed, lacks many of the theridiid synapomorphies, while some characteristics associate it with the Hadrotarsinae (if all other pholcommatines are removed from the analysis Phoroncidia moves sister to Hadrotarsinae ).

Implied weighing, bootstrapping and taxon removal experiments showed that the Pholcommatinae is the one major clade most sensitive to data perturbations. Thus the current phylogenetic position of at least Phoroncidia , Stemmops and Cerocida should be considered likely to change. Phoroncidia has an unusual combination of characters and sits on a long branch (18 steps, Fig. 103 View Figure 103 ). This may in part explain its instability, but the placement of Phoroncidia does not alter when its sister taxon ( Stemmops ) and other closely related taxa (one or more at the time) are removed (but see above). Pholcommatinae may be limited to those taxa with the ectal cymbial hook moderately ( Enoplognatha ) or strongly tapered ( Figs 66B View Figure 66 , 67D, E View Figure 67 ; in this matrix present in Carniella , Pholcomma , Selkirkiella and Robertus ). Note, however, that Phoroncidia and Stemmops are extremely morphologically diverse and quite possibly nonmonophyletic genera. Given that the exemplar species used in this study are not types, these conclusions may only apply to the species included here.

Based on the synapomorphies of the group it is likely that Craspedisia Simon, 1894 , Helvidia , Proboscidula , Styposis , Theonoe and Wirada belong to this subfamily. All have cymbial hook on ectal margin, pointing upward, and distinctly tapered, and an ectally shifted embolus. Many members of this group have cephalic modifications (proboscis) and prosomal warts.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Arachnida

Order

Araneae

Family

Theridiidae

Loc

PHOLCOMMATINAE

Agnarsson, Ingi 2004
2004
Loc

Pholcommatinae

Kaston BJ 1981: 94
1981
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