Crassignatha, WUNDERLICH 1995

Lopardo, Lara & Hormiga, Gustavo, 2015, Out of the twilight zone: phylogeny and evolutionary morphology of the orb-weaving spider family Mysmenidae, with a focus on spinneret spigot morphology in symphytognathoids (Araneae, Araneoidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 173 (3), pp. 527-786 : 624

GENUS CRASSIGNATHA WUNDERLICH 1995

Crassignatha Wunderlich, 1995: 546 .

Type species by original designation and monotypy: Crassignatha haeneli Wunderlich 1995: 547 (type and only specimen not examined, scored from literature).

Miller et al. 2009: 68 (transfer from Mysmenidae to Symphytognathidae ).

Familial placement: Symphytognathidae . The placement of this genus within Symphytognathidae was recently proposed by Miller et al. (2009) based exclusively on morphological comparative observations (as here, the type species was also not examined). This placement is corroborated by the results of our phylogenetic analysis. Crassignatha nested within Symphytognathidae as sister to a distal clade comprising three undetermined symphytognathid species (SYMP-002- MAD, SYMP-006- AUST, and SYMP-007- AUST). The type species of Crassignatha , Crassignatha haeneli , is known only from a male specimen (holotype), has none of the synapomorphic features of Mysmenidae , and consequently its placement in a different family is hardly surprising. It differs from Mysmenidae in the absence of femoral spots, absence of tibial or metatarsal clasping spines on leg I, prolateral (instead of ventral) cymbium, absence of cymbial structures (e.g. primary conductor, process, and paracymbium), absence of pars pendula, and presence of median apophysis. In addition, Crassignatha shares with Symphytognathidae the loss of the anterior median eyes, promarginal cheliceral teeth originating from a common base or raised plate, and loss of the colulus. It also shares with several symphytognathids in this data set a clasping spine located ventrally on tibia II and the absence of palpal patellar or tibial apophyses.