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1. Phylogenomics of North American cybaeid spiders (Araneae, Cybaeidae), including the description of new taxa from the Klamath Mountains Geomorphic Province

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1226.140204  

   Hedin, Marshal; Ramírez, Martín J; Monjaraz-Ruedas, Rodrigo (February 2025, ZooKeys)

   The systematics of humble-in-appearance brown spiders (“marronoids”), within a larger group of spiders with a modified retrolateral tibial apophysis (the RTA Clade), has long vexed arachnologists. Although not yet fully settled, recent phylogenomics has allowed the delimitation and phylogenetic relationships of families within marronoids to come into focus. Understanding relationships within these families still awaits more comprehensive generic-level sampling, as the majority of described marronoid genera remain unsampled for phylogenomic data. Here we conduct such an analysis in the family Cybaeidae Banks, 1892. We greatly increase generic-level sampling, assembling ultraconserved element (UCE) data for 18 of 22 described cybaeid genera, including all North American genera, and rigorously test family monophyly using a comprehensive outgroup taxon sample. We also conduct analyses of traditional Sanger loci, allowing curation of some previously published data. Our UCE phylogenomic results support the monophyly of recognized cybaeids, with strongly supported internal relationships, and evidence for five primary molecular subclades. We hypothesize potential morphological synapomorphies for most of these subclades, bringing a robust phylogenomic underpinning to cybaeid classification. A new cybaeid genusSiskiyugen. nov.and speciesSiskiyu armillasp. nov.is discovered and described from far northern California and adjacent southern Oregon and a new species in the elusive genusCybaeozyga,C. furtivasp. nov., is described from far northern California. 

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2. A new firefly genus from South America, with seven new species, a new combination, and notes on the phylogeny of Lampyrinae: Lucidotini (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18967  

   Viana, Jéssica Herzog; Roza, André Silva; Vaz, Stephanie; Powell, Gareth; da_Silveira, Luiz_Felipe Lima (January 2025, PeerJ)

   BackgroundLucidotini is a diverse tribe of lampyrine fireflies present throughout the New World, Europe, and Asia. Most of the over 30 genera have overlapping diagnoses, largely due to a lack of revisionary and phylogenetic studies. Widespread convergence in sensory morphology, traditionally used in genus-level diagnoses, further compounds the taxonomic issues surrounding the Lucidotini. Recent work has cast light on the value of terminalia and genitalic traits for Lucidotini taxonomy and called for a more thorough screening of morphological characters. Of special interest are basal outgrowths of the phallus (i.e., ventrobasal processes)—currently only known inAlychnusKirsch andPhotinusLaporte–that can be quite informative at the species level, but its variation within Lucidotini remains poorly studied. Most Lucidotini species remain only superficially described, while internal characters—including those of terminalia and genitalia—which could inform species identification and phylogenetic relatedness, remain unknown. Upon studying eight Lucidotini species superficially looking likePhotinusandPhotinoidesMcDermott—all of which bearing long ventrobasal processes–we raised the hypothesis that they belonged to a genus yet to be recognized. MethodsHere, we analyzed 97 morphological characters of 32 lampyrid species spanning 17 of 30 Lucidotini genera under Bayesian Inference. ResultsWe found evidence for the recognition and description ofSaguassugen. nov.to include seven new species (Saguassu acutumsp. nov.,Saguassu grossiisp. nov.,Saguassu manauarasp. nov.,Saguassu rebellumsp nov.,Saguassu rourasp. nov.,Saguassu serratumsp. nov.andSaguassu sinuosumsp. nov.), in addition toPhotinus dissidensOlivier ((transferred herein, thus generatingSaguassu dissidenscomb. nov.), for which we also designate a lectotype and two paralectotypes). This previously neglected lineage of Lucidotini spans four South American biomes: Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, Cerrado, and Pampa. Interestingly,Saguassuspecies span a gradient of morphologies related to signaling: fromLampyris-style ventrally bulging eyes, tiny antennae and no lanterns; intermediate eyes and antennae, with complete lanterns as inPhotinus; to small eyes and long antennae and small lanterns as in manyLucidotaLaporte.Saguassugen. nov.was consistently found closely related to the three other Lucidotini taxa with ventrobasal processes (i.e.,Alychnus,Photinoides, andPhotinus). We provide an occurrence map of and a dichotomous key toSaguassuspecies, thoroughly compare this genus with co-occurring Lucidotini genera, and suggest steps towards a revision of the Lucidotini tribe. 

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3. Orientocardiochiles, a new genus of Cardiochilinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with descriptions of two new species from Malaysia and Vietnam

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.971.56571  

   Kang, Ilgoo; Long, Khuat Dang; Sharkey, Michael J.; Whitfield, James B.; Lord, Nathan P. (September 2020, ZooKeys)

   null (Ed.)

   For the first time in 21 years, a new genus of cardiochiline braconid wasp, Orientocardiochiles Kang & Long, gen. nov. (type species Orientocardiochiles joeburrowi Kang, sp. nov. ), is discovered and described. This genus represents the ninth genus in the Oriental region. Two new species ( O. joeburrowi Kang, sp. nov. and O. nigrofasciatus Long, sp. nov. ) are described and illustrated, and a key to species of the genus, with detailed images, is added. Diagnostic characters of the new genus are analyzed and compared with several other cardiochiline genera to allow the genus to key out properly using an existing generic treatment. The scientific names validated by this paper and morphological data obtained from this project will be utilized and tested in the upcoming genus-level revision of the subfamily based on combined morphological and molecular data. 

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4. The malkarid spiders of New Zealand (Araneae : Malkaridae)

   https://doi.org/10.1071/IS19073  

   Hormiga, Gustavo; Scharff, Nikolaj (January 2020, Invertebrate Systematics)

   This paper addresses the systematics of the New Zealand spiders of the family Malkaridae. Malkarids are small araneoid spiders that live primarily in the leaf litter and mosses of temperate and tropical wet forests in Australia and New Zealand, with the exception of a single species in southern South America and another in New Caledonia. We treat the New Zealand species of Malkaridae that are not members of the subfamily Pararchaeinae, a monophyletic group of 11 new species that we classify in 2 new genera (Tingotingo, gen. nov. and Whakamoke, gen. nov.) and a new subfamily (Tingotinginae, subfam. nov.). We describe, diagnose, illustrate and map the distribution of specimen records of these 11 new species of New Zealand Malkaridae: Tingotingo porotiti, sp. nov., T. pouaru, sp. nov., T. tokorera, sp. nov., T. aho, sp. nov., Whakamoke orongorongo, sp. nov.; W. tarakina, sp. nov.; W. guacamole, sp. nov.; W. hunahuna, sp. nov.; W. paoka, sp. nov.; W. heru, sp. nov.; and W. rakiura, sp. nov. We also treat the phylogenetic relationships of Malkaridae and use the results of our previous work on the molecular phylogeny of Araneoidea as the bases for the classification of the family. Tingotingo, gen. nov. and Whakamoke, gen. nov. are sister clades. Tingotinginae, subfam. nov. is the sister group of the Malkarinae plus Pararchaeinae clade. We further hypothesise and discuss the morphological synapomorphies of Malkaridae, Tingotinginae, subfam. nov. and the two new genera. 

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5. Phylogenomic re-evaluation of Triaenonychoidea (Opiliones : Laniatores), and systematics of Triaenonychidae, including new families, genera and species

   https://doi.org/10.1071/IS20047  

   Derkarabetian, Shahan; Baker, Caitlin M.; Hedin, Marshal; Prieto, Carlos E.; Giribet, Gonzalo (January 2021, Invertebrate Systematics)

   null (Ed.)

   The Opiliones superfamily Triaenonychoidea currently includes two families, the monogeneric New Zealand–endemic Synthetonychiidae Forster, 1954 and Triaenonychidae Sørensen, 1886, a diverse family distributed mostly throughout the temperate Gondwanan terranes, with ~110 genera and ~500 species and subspecies currently described. Traditionally, Triaenonychidae has been divided into subfamilies diagnosed by very few morphological characters largely derived from the troublesome ‘Roewerian system’ of morphology, and classifications based on this system led to many complications. Recent research within Triaenonychoidea using morphology and traditional multilocus data has shown multiple deeply divergent lineages, non-monophyly of Triaenonychidae, and non-monophyly of subfamilies, necessitating a revision based on phylogenomic data. We used sequence capture of ultraconserved elements across 164 samples to create a 50% taxon occupancy matrix with 704 loci. Using phylogenomic and morphological examinations, we explored family-level relationships within Triaenonychoidea, including describing two new families: (1) Lomanellidae Mendes & Derkarabetian, fam. nov., consisting of Lomanella Pocock, 1903, and a newly described genus Abaddon Derkarabetian & Baker, gen. nov. with one species, A. despoliator Derkarabetian, sp. nov.; and (2) the elevation to family of Buemarinoidae Karaman, 2019, consisting of Buemarinoa Roewer, 1956, Fumontana Shear, 1977, Flavonuncia Lawrence, 1959, and a newly described genus Turonychus Derkarabetian, Prieto & Giribet, gen. nov., with one species, T. fadriquei Derkarabetian, Prieto & Giribet, sp. nov. With our dataset we also explored phylogenomic relationships within Triaenonychidae with an extensive taxon set including samples representing ~80% of the genus-level diversity. Based on our results we (1) discuss systematics of this family including the historical use of subfamilies, (2) reassess morphology in the context of our phylogeny, (3) hypothesise placement for all unsampled genera, (4) highlight lineages most in need of taxonomic revision, and (5) provide an updated species-level checklist. Aside from describing new taxa, our study provides the phylogenomic context necessary for future evolutionary and systematic research across this diverse lineage.ZooBank Registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:81683834-98AB-43AA-B25A-C28C6A404F41 

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