Phylogenetic relationships within Philodromidae, with a taxonomic revision of Philodromus subgenus Artanes in the western Palearctic (Arachnida:Araneae)

Abstract

The first quantitative phylogenetic analysis within the spider family Philodromidae (using 65 morphological characters from 40 ingroup taxa) does not corroborate Schick’s division into the tribes Thanatini (Apollophanes O. P.-Cambridge, 1898, Pelloctanes Schick, 1965, Thanatus C. L. Koch, 1837; Tibellus, Simon, 1875) and Philodromini (Ebo Keyserling, 1884, Philodromus Walckenaer, 1826; Rhysodromus Schick, 1965). Instead, Ebo is sister to all other genera in the family, and a fraction of Philodromus (the histrio species-group = Rhysodromus Schick) are contained with the Thanatini. The forgotten genus Artanes Thorell, 1870 constitutes a well-defined distal taxon in a clade that contains the majority of Philodromus species. Here Artanes is considered a subgenus of Philodromus, and includes the margaritatus and the poecilus species-groups. The western Palearctic species of the subgenus are revised. Twelve species are (re-)described, keyed and illustrated: Philodromus blanckei (Wunderlich, 1995) (first description of ♀); P. calidus Lucas, 1846; P. femurostriatus, sp. nov. from the eastern Mediterranean; P. fuscomarginatus (De Geer, 1778); P. johani, sp. nov. from Crete; P. laricium Simon, 1875, removed from synonymy with P. corticinus (C. L. Koch); P. maghrebi, sp. nov. from northern Africa (♀ only); P. margaritatus (Clerck, 1757); P. parietalis Simon, 1875; P. pentheri, sp. nov. from the Caspian region and Albania (♀ only); P. pinetorum, sp. nov. from the Mediterranean; and P. poecilus (Thorell, 1872).