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Morphology and evolution of scopula, pseudoscopula and claw tufts in Mygalomorphae (Araneae)

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Abstract

We studied the morphology of scopula, claw tufts and a scopula-like feature (pseudoscopula) of tarsi on representatives of all Mygalomorphae spider families. The pseudoscopula is constituted by groups of non-microtriched conical setae. The taxonomic distribution of all these features was studied and mapped on a recent phylogeny of Mygalomorphae and the association of them with the lifestyles of the spiders was analyzed. Adhesive setae, as well as some other setal types found on ventral tarsi are described and characterized. The adhesive face of setae varied in the orientation in different parts of the tarsi, and this variation is more conspicuous in the spiders which only have claw tufts or scopula. We found an association of adhesive scopulae and claw tufts with burrower/cursorial or thin wafer lid trapdoor mygalomorphs as suggested for free hunter spiders, but we found that the pseudoscopula is associated with males of some trap-door and some weavers mygalomorphs. The presence of pseudoscopula widely extended among Mygalomorphae seems to be ancestral for the infraorder. The setal morphology of pseudoscopula suggests chemosensorial function; sparse chemosensory setae were also found in almost all Mygalomorphae. The morphology, functions and evolution of scopula, claw tufts and pseudoscopula are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Comisión Sectorial de Investigación Científica (CSIC), Universidad de la República, Uruguay, CSIC I+D [C609-348] and also by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) [479377/2012-0]. We greatly thank Witold Lapinski and Jonas Wolff for the exhaustive revision of an early version of this manuscript. Laura Montes de Oca is thanked for providing us photos of some species and Nelson Ferretti for the loan of specimens. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions and critiques. CP thanks Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANNI), Uruguay, for the financial support under postgraduate scholarship POS_NAC_2011_1_3624 code.

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  1. Sección Entomología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo, Uruguay

    F. Pérez-Miles, R. Becco & C. Perafán

  2. Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP, Av. 24A 1515, Bela Vista, Rio Claro, São Paulo, 13506-900, Brazil

    J. P. L. Guadanucci & J. P. Jurgilas

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  1. F. Pérez-Miles
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Correspondence to C. Perafán.

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Pérez-Miles, F., Guadanucci, J.P.L., Jurgilas, J.P. et al. Morphology and evolution of scopula, pseudoscopula and claw tufts in Mygalomorphae (Araneae). Zoomorphology 136, 435–459 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-017-0364-9

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