The new spider genus Palindroma, featuring a novel synapomorphy for the Zodariidae (Araneae)

View/ Open
Authors
Henrard, A.
Jocqué, R.
Discipline
Biological sciences
Subject
Biological collection and data management
Invertebrates
Audience
Scientific
Date
2015Metadata
Show full item recordDescription
The new genus Palindroma gen. nov. is described in the Cryptothelinae, Zodariidae. Apart from the type species, P. morogorom gen. et sp. nov. (♂♀), the genus contains P. aleykyela gen. et sp. nov. (♂), P. avonova gen. et sp. nov. (♂♀), P. sinis gen. et sp. nov. (♂) and the somewhat aberrant species P. obmoimiombo gen. et sp. nov. (♂). The four typical representatives of the genus are characterized by the profile of the carapace with a slight dip, the absence of precoxal sclerites and the characters of the male palp with enlarged tibia, large subtegulum and tegular retrolateral knob. The genus occurs in miombo-woodland and coastal forest in East and Central Africa and this peculiar distribution is discussed. A key to the males of the Palindroma species is provided. Specimens of Palindroma have a particularly well-developed tibial process fitting in a shallow metatarsal pouch on all legs in both sexes. Although less conspicuous in some derived taxa, the feature appears to be present in all representatives of the Zodariidae, but not in possible sister-group taxa and is thus an autapomorphy of the family.
Citation
Henrard, A.; Jocqué, R. (2015). The new spider genus Palindroma, featuring a novel synapomorphy for the Zodariidae (Araneae). , European Journal of Taxonomy, Vol. 152, 1-33, ISSN: 2118-9773, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2015.152.Identifiers
issn: 2118-9773
Type
Article
Peer-Review
Yes
Language
eng