Mysmeniola, THALER, 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 : 784

MYSMENIOLA THALER, 1995

FIGS 134D , 142M, N

Mysmeniola Thaler, 1995: 429 .

Type species

Mysmeniola spinifera Thaler, 1995 by original designation and monotypy, holotype in MHNG, examined.

Familial placement and composition

Our working phylogenetic hypothesis places Mysmeniola within the mysmenine clade C128 ( Brasilionata , Mysmeniola , Microdipoena , and MYSM-019-MAD), as sister to the clade including Brasilionata and Microdipoena (clade C126; Fig. 161B ). Mysmeniola is here represented by its type and only species M. spinifera .

Monophyly and diagnosis

This singular Venezuelan monotypic genus, only known by males (see male palp drawing on Fig. 134D ), is here diagnosed by the following combination of autapomorphies: six eyes (anterior median eyes absent; Fig. 142M ); prolateral cymbium with a prolateral basal expansion surrounding the entire basal bulb and with minute setae at tip, male palpal tibia with prolateral apical process and irregular rim setal conformation, median trichobothrium on metatarsus I, tarsus I with prolateral row of setae distributed along tarsus, and minute but distinct dorsal–posterior abdominal hump ( Fig. 142M, N ). The presence of a cluster of strong setae at the base of the clypeus seems to be autapomorphic for the genus (see Fig. 142M ; also Thaler, 1995: figs 1, 2). Previously proposed diagnostic features for Mysmeniola are in agreement with the diagnostic features suggested here.

Figures

Figure 134. Mysmenidae male left palp (unless otherwise stated), cleared: A, Mysmena leucoplagiata, type, prolateral view, right palp, inverted; B, Mysmena leichhardti, from Queensland, Australia, prolateral–ventral view; C, Mysmena tasmaniae, prolateral–ventral view, right palp, inverted; D, Mysmeniola spinifera, holotype, prolateral view, right palp, inverted; E, MYSM-019-MAD (Mysmeninae), from Toliara, Madagascar, prolateral view; F, MYSM-023-MAD (Mysmeninae), from Antananarivo, Madagascar, retrolateral view, right palp, inverted; G, MYSM-020-MAD (Mysmeninae), from Toamasina, Madagascar, dorsal view, right palp, inverted; H, same, ventral view. See Appendix 3 for the list of abbreviations.

Figure 142. Composite images of Mysmenidae species: Mysmeninae and Trogloneta. A, B, Microdipoena nyungwe; A, male, lateral view; B, female, ventral view. C, Trogloneta granulum, female, ventral view. D, Mysmena (= Calodipoena) incredula, female, lateral view, inverted. E, Mysmena (= Calodipoena) mootae, female holotype, dorsal view. F, Mysmena (= Calomyspoena) santacruzi, female paratype, dorsal view. G–I, Mysmena (= Itapua) tembei; G, male holotype, lateral view, inverted; H, male holotype, frontal view; I, female paratype, frontal view. J–L, Mysmena (= Kekenboschiella) awari, male paratype; J, lateral view; K, dorsal view; L, ventral view. M, N, Mysmeniola spinifera, male holotype; M, lateral view; N, ventral view. O, Brasilionata arborense, male holotype, dorsal view, abdomen detached. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 161. Hypothesis of relationships within Mysmenidae, taken from the results of the combined analysis from Lopardo et al. (2011) (see Fig. 160). New taxonomic (i.e. generic) status as proposed in our study is assigned to each representative; new combinations are emphasized in bold. Unambiguous morphological character optimizations are shown for every branch in the tree. Numbers below each node indicate node numbers. Empty and filled boxes represent homoplasious and non-homoplasious transformations, respectively. Major clades representing taxonomic decisions discussed in the text are highlighted in grey boxes.