Phylogeny and classification of the trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila: an integrative approach to evaluating taxonomic hypotheses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Revised by Bond and Platnick in 2007, the trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila comprises 11 species. Species delimitation and placement within one of three species groups was based on modifications of the male copulatory device. Because a phylogeny of the group was not available these species groups might not represent monophyletic lineages; species definitions likewise were untested hypotheses. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the phylogeny of Myrmekiaphila species using molecular data to formally test the delimitation of species and species-groups. We seek to refine a set of established systematic hypotheses by integrating across molecular and morphological data sets.

Methods and findings

Phylogenetic analyses comprising Bayesian searches were conducte

SUBMITTER: Bailey AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2939068 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature