Rhyphelia Simon, 1902

Nobre, Welington B. & Ruiz, Gustavo R. S., 2024, On the boundary of the jumping spider genus Rhyphelia Simon, 1902 (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryini), with description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5418 (5), pp. 471-500 : 472-473

Rhyphelia Simon, 1902

Rhyphelia Simon, 1902

(Type species: Rhyphelia variegata Simon, 1902 , by original designation); World Spider Catalog 2023.

Soesilarishius Makhan, 2007

(Type species: Soesilarishius amrishi Makhan, 2007 , by original designation); World Spider Catalog 2023 — NEW SYNONYMY.

Diagnosis. Species included in this genus are small, brownish South American litter or trunk dwelling euophryines with reduced spiraled emboli (for further notes, see Galiano 1963; Ruiz 2011, 2013; Zhang & Maddison 2015; Ruiz & Sobrinho 2016). In that sense, Rhyphelia resembles the unrelated Popcornella from the Caribbean islands, but Popcornella has a short retrolateral tibial apophysis in the male palp (larger in Rhyphelia ) and shortened copulatory ducts in the epigyne (longer in Rhyphelia ) (See Zhang & Maddison, 2012b: figs 219–223).

Phylogenetic position. According to Zhang & Maddison (2015), this group (included as “ Soesilarishius ” in the analyses) was found as part of a Neotropical clade gathering other genera, such as Amphidraus , Marma , Tylogonus Simon, 1902 , Mopiopia Simon, 1902 , Saphrys Zhang & Maddison, 2015 , Coryphasia , Neonella , Ecuadattus Zhang & Maddison, 2012 and Ilargus . The similar morphology present in some Rhyphelia and in Popcornella (body size, coloration, reduced structures in male palp and epigyne) represent, hence, convergences, since these genera are not closely related (see Zhang & Maddison 2015).

Note. Males of two species ( R. variegata and R. brevistylus sp. nov.) have projected endites ( Fig. 1B ) and developed tegular lobe, both absent or reduced in the remaining species of the genus. However, these structures are extremely variable in Euophryini and were considered not enough to predict the independence of both genera, given the diversity of the lineage. Unpublished DNA sequences of an undescribed species from Ecuador closely related to the type species, R. variegata , places the Ecuadorian species with the remaining species of the lineage sampled in molecular studies ( R. amrishi , R. micacea and R. ruizi ; see species authors below) (W. Maddison, pers. comm). Despite several species already being described, analyses of Brazilian collections show that this lineage is one of the largest ground-dwelling spider groups in South America in terms of species number, with many more species awaiting formal description. Given the similarities, the large number of genera in the tribe, the close relationship between type species demonstrated with DNA sequences and, most importantly, to ensure taxonomic stability, we decided to synonymize the two genera herein.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Rhyphelia variegata Simon, 1902, male holotype. A dorsal view; B chelicera and endites, ventral view; C–D right male palp, digitally inverted (C ventral view; D retrolateral view).