A new ant-eating spider genus Suffascar (Araneae:Zodariidae) endemic to Madagascar: a considerable extension of the dual femoral organ clade

Abstract

The new zodariid genus Suffascar, gen. nov. is described from Madagascar. It is apparently endemic to the island, common and speciose. Twelve new species were discovered and are here described: Suffascar albolineatus, sp. nov., S. fianara, sp. nov., S. fisheri, sp. nov., S. fitzpatrickae, sp. nov., S. gigas, sp. nov., S. griswoldi, sp. nov., S. macromma, sp. nov., S. micromma, sp. nov., S. nonus, sp. nov., S. scutatus, sp. nov., S. sufficiens, sp. nov. and S. tofti, sp. nov. It is well known that Zodariidae with femoral organs are specialised consumers of ants or termites, although the exact role of these glands still remains obscure. Suffascar is part of the ‘dual femoral organ clade’ (DF), which also includes Asceua Thorell, 1887, Suffasia Jocqué, 1991, and Suffrica Henrard & Jocqué, 2015. Using a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis, we test whether zodariids sharing the dual femoral organ are part of the same group as the ‘single femoral organ clade’ (SF) or form a separate monophyletic group. It appears that SF and DF constitute clearly monophyletic entities with a sister-group relation. These groups may be considered as distinct subfamilies and, together, they may turn out to be sister to the Storeninae (which then could be re-established). An analysis that focuses on these questions is underway. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:281E1357-FAEE-4300-B1BB-F0D43E724E91

A revision of the genus Cicynethus Simon, 1910 (Araneae, Zodariidae), a tale of colour patterns

“…This is quite unusual. Colour patterns are hardly ever used to a large extent to differentiate spiders living at ground level, and in the many revisions of Zodariidae, this character has been used only once, more precisely to differentiate some species in the key to females of Suffascar Henrard & Jocqué, 2017(Henrard & Jocqué 2017). Yet, in Cicynethus it is perfectly possible to combine the keys for males and females to identify the species almost solely on the base of their colour pattern.…”

Revision of the ant-eating spider genus Mallinus Simon, 1893 (Araneae, Zodariidae)

“…), Ranops appears to be placed as the sister group of a clade containing Akyttara , Heradida , Mallinus and Palfuria , forming a strongly supported monophyletic group. Those zodariines belong to a monophyletic clade characterized by the presence of a unique femoral organ on the legs (Henrard and Jocqué 2017).…”