ABSTRACT
The Solfugae fauna of Canada includes three known species: Eremobatesdocolora Brookhart and Muma, E.scaber (Kraepelin), and Hemerotrechadenticulata Muma. It is expected that as many as four additional species may be found in Canada. Only one Barcode Index Number is currently known from Canadian specimens.
ABSTRACT
A recent phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the solifuge genus Eremocosta (Eremobatidae), although not monophyletic, formed a strongly supported group, rendered paraphyletic by the exclusion of E. acuitlapanensis, which we herein determine is misplaced in this genus. We revise the taxonomy of the genus Eremocosta. Nine species of the 13 currently placed in the genus are retained, E. bajaensis (Muma 1986), E. calexicensis (Muma 1951), E. formidabilus (Simon 1879), E. gigas Roewer 1934, E. gigasella (Muma 1970), E. spinipalpis (Kraepelin 1899), E. striata (Putnam 1883), and E. titania (Muma 1951). Eremocosta fusca (Muma 1986) and E. montezuma (Roewer 1934) are returned to the genus Eremorhax along with E. arenarum. Eremocosta hystrix and Eremocosta acuitlapanensis (Vázquez Gaviño-Rojas 2000) are transferred to Eremobates. We re-evaluated E. nigrimana (Pocock 1895) and determined that, since the type shows the ventrodistal concavity (VDC) diagnostic for the genus Eremocosta, it should be retained in that genus; however, because the type locality is identified as Afghanistan, far outside the range of any Eremobatidae, its status and placement remain uncertain. Eremocosta robusta (Roewer 1934) was designated nomen dubium by Muma and we maintain this designation. We provide a key to the species of Eremocosta and provide a description of the female of E. gigas.
Subject(s)
Arachnida , Afghanistan , Animals , Female , Phylogeny , SpidersABSTRACT
Nine new species of the Eremobates scaber species group of the solifuge genus Eremobates Banks 1900 are described, eight of them from Mexico. These new species are: E. axacoa, E. bonito, E. cyranoi, E. fisheri, E. hidalgoana, E. jaliscoana, E. minamoritaana, E. zacatecana, and E. zapal and together increase the size of this species group to 23. A key to all species in the E. scaber species group is also provided.
Subject(s)
Arachnida/anatomy & histology , Arachnida/classification , Animals , Female , Male , Mexico , Species Specificity , United StatesABSTRACT
Camel spiders (Solifugae) are a diverse but poorly studied order of arachnids. No robust phylogenetic analysis has ever been carried out for the order or for any family within the Solifugae. We present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the endemic North American family Eremobatidae Kraepelin, 1899, the first such analysis of a family of Solifugae. We use a multi-locus exemplar approach using DNA sequences from partial nuclear (28S rDNA and Histone H3) and mitochondrial (16S rRNA and Cytochrome c Oxidase I) gene loci for 81 ingroup exemplars representing all genera of Eremobatidae and most species groups within the genera Eremobates Banks, 1900, Eremochelis Roewer, 1934, and Hemerotrecha Banks, 1903. Maximum Likelihood and two Bayesian analyses consistently recovered the monophyly of Eremobatidae, Eremorhax Roewer, 1934 and Eremothera Muma, 1951 along with a group comprising all subfamily Eremobatinae Kraepelin, 1901 exemplars except Horribates bantai Muma, 1989 and a group comprising all Eremocosta Roewer, 1934 exemplars except Eremocosta acuitalpanensis (Vasquez and Gavin, 2000). The subfamily Therobatinae Muma, 1951 and the genera Chanbria Muma, 1951, Hemerotrecha, Eremochelis, and Eremobates were polyphyletic or paraphyletic. Only the banksi group of Hemerotrecha was monophyletic; the other species groups recognized within Eremobates, Eremochelis, and Hemerotrecha were paraphyletic or polyphyletic. We found no support for the monophyly of the subfamily Therobatinae. A time-calibrated phylogeny dated the most recent common ancestor of extant eremobatids to the late Eocene to early Miocene, with a mean estimate in the late Oligocene (32.2 Ma).
