A review of the Afrotropical tracheline sac spiders (Araneae: Corinnidae), with revisions of three genera

[摘要] English: The sac spider subfamily Trachelinae (Araneae: Corinnidae) is currently representedin the Afrotropical Region by eight genera, namely Austrachelas Lawrence, 1938,Brachyphaea Simon, 1895, Cetonana Strand, 1929, Paccius Simon, 1897, PronophaeaSimon, 1897, Spinotrachelas Haddad, 2006, Thysanina Simon, 1910 and Trachelas L. Koch,1872. The genera Brachyphaea and Pronophaea are misplaced, and most likely belong to theCorinninae, while Austrachelas is probably a gallieniellid. Numerous revisions have beendone on New World and South-East Asian trachelines, but little work has been carried out onthe fauna of the Afrotropical Region.In this dissertation a review of the literature pertaining to Afrotropical trachelinetaxonomy, as well as the ecology, biology and medical importance of tracheline sac spiders, isgiven. A diagnosis for the five valid genera is given, together with a key to the genera. Threegenera, namely Cetonana, Thysanina and Trachelas, were revised in the Afrotropical Region,with redescriptions of described species and descriptions of 58 new species. Additional noteson their biology and distribution were given, where possible. Specimens from 19 collectionswere examined, with measurements and genitalic drawings done for each species.In the genus Cetonana, Cetonana coenosa (Simon, 1897) and C. martini (Simon,1897) were redescribed, and C. curvipes (Tucker, 1920), C. tridentata (Lessert, 1923) and C.simoni (Lawrence, 1942) were proposed as junior synonyms of C. martini. Ten new specieswere described. The type specimen of C. aculifera (Strand, 1916) from Madagascar could notbe traced and is presumed destroyed, and therefore this species is considered nomen dubium.Within the monotypic genus Thysanina, the type species T. serica Simon, 1910 wasredescribed and five new species were described from the Afrotropical Region (Lyle &Haddad, 2006). The genus Trachelas, with a cosmopolitan distribution, was only revised forthe Afrotropical mainland. The species T. chubbi Lessert, 1921, T. pusillus Lessert, 1923, T.roeweri Lawrence, 1923, T. schenkeli Lessert, 1923 and T. sylvae Caporiacco, 1949 wereredescribed. Forty-eight new species were described from various localities throughout theregion. Trachelas scopulifer Simon, 1896 was redescribed, and its transfer to the genusThysanina is proposed. The juvenile type specimen of T. punctatus Simon, 1886 could not betraced and is presumed lost, and this species is therefore considered nomen dubium.The results of this dissertation have highlighted how poorly the Afrotropical Region isstudied, and strengthens the need for further sampling within the region as current records arevery fragmented. This may result in the discovery of further new species, as manyAfrotropical trachelines apparently have restricted distributions. Results of this dissertationhave provided some clarity to Trachelinae taxonomy in the region, particularly with regards togeneral morphology and diagnostic characteristics of genera, and will also contribute tonational and international initiatives, such as the South African National Survey of Arachnida(SANSA) and the African Arachnida Database (AFRAD), which aim to discover, describeand to make an inventory of the arachnid fauna of South Africa and Africa, respectively.However, to better understand the relationships between the genera a cladistic analysis shouldbe performed on the subfamily, and should follow a revision of Paccius and the description ofnew genera from the region.

[发布机构] University of the Free State