Uduba species

Griswold, Charles, Ubick, Darrell, Ledford, Joel & Polotow, Daniele, 2022, A Revision of the Malagasy Crack-Leg Spiders of the Genus Uduba Simon, 1880 (Araneae, Udubidae), with Description of 35 New Species from Madagascar, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 67, pp. 1-193 : 94

Classification of Uduba species

We have not attempted a quantitative analysis of morphological data. Unfortunately, our attempts to obtain DNA data were inconsistent, and frequently failed. Whereas some specimens were collected into 95% ethanol, and even some field-dissected and had legs placed in RNALater©, many specimens were not DNA-ready. One of the most productive means of collecting Uduba was in pitfall traps with a combination water-5% formalin preservative. These specimens did not preserve DNA usable for our techniques. Treatment of specimens after collecting may also have degraded DNA. Most Uduba specimens were collected as part of more inclusive surveys of all Madagascar arthropods, which may have used mass-collecting techniques, e.g., pitfall traps, yellow-pan traps and malaise trapping. Specimens were then carried for days or weeks without refrigeration, for example, in a backpack or a truck, and often endured high ambient temperatures, i.e., 30–40 degrees C. Attempts to extract useable DNA from our specimens were mostly made during the 2000’s. Perhaps newer methods would be more successful but a DNA phylogeny of Uduba is beyond the scope of this monograph.

Comparison to other Udubidae , and to representatives of the OC-Clade (Oval Calamistrum Clade; Griswold et al. 2005: 75; Griswold and Ramírez 2017: 27, fig. 2.1) more broadly, reveals that within Uduba there are many peculiar genitalic morphologies, which we suggest may be putative synapomorphies. Species may be grouped based on genitalic similarities, which suggests that cribellate/ecribellate species pairs may actually be sister species. We propose the following species groups, which are based on putative genitalic synapomorphies. Several males and females cannot be placed in any of our groups.