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The first fossil record of the genus Phycosoma (Araneae, Theridiidae) from the lower Miocene Mexican amber, with the description of a new species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2022

Miguel Ángel García-Villafuerte Open the ORCID record for Miguel Ángel García-Villafuerte [Opens in a new window] ,
Gerardo Carbot-Chanona Open the ORCID record for Gerardo Carbot-Chanona [Opens in a new window] ,
Gustavo Rivera-Velázquez ,
Esteban Pineda-Diez de Bonilla  and
Wilfredo A. Matamoros Open the ORCID record for Wilfredo A. Matamoros [Opens in a new window]
Miguel Ángel García-Villafuerte*
Affiliation:
Maestría en Ciencias en Biodiversidad y Conservación de Ecosistemas Tropicales, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Libramiento Norte Poniente, Caleras Maciel, 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
Gerardo Carbot-Chanona
Affiliation:
Museo de Paleontología “Eliseo Palacios Aguilera,” Departamento de Paleontología, Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, Calzada de Las Personas Ilustres, s/n, C.P. 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
Gustavo Rivera-Velázquez
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Libramiento Norte Poniente, Caleras Maciel, 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
Esteban Pineda-Diez de Bonilla
Affiliation:
Museo de Zoología, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. Libramiento Norte Poniente, Caleras Maciel, 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
Wilfredo A. Matamoros
Affiliation:
Maestría en Ciencias en Biodiversidad y Conservación de Ecosistemas Tropicales, Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Libramiento Norte Poniente, Caleras Maciel, 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas, Libramiento Norte Poniente, Caleras Maciel, 29000, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Theridiidae is a family of spiders with the fourth highest richness of extant species worldwide. Fossil Theridiidae is also the family of spiders with the largest number of Cretaceous, Eocene, and Miocene representatives. Phycosoma Pickard-Cambridge, 1880 is a theridiid genus without a fossil representative. In this study, we describe a new fossil species of Phycosoma, P. icti† n. sp., from an adult male specimen found in a piece of amber from the lower Miocene (ca. 23 Ma), from the Montecristo mines near Simojovel de Allende, Chiapas, Mexico. Phycosoma icti† n. sp. can be distinguished from all other Phycosoma males except P. corrugum by the long embolus partly covered by the conductor. In addition, it can be distinguished from P. corrugum by the oblique and constricted median apophysis; the narrow and pointed conductor; the long, curved, and bent theridiid tegular apophysis in its distal portion; and the prosoma ringed in the middle and along the ventral margin. Phycosoma icti† n. sp. represents the oldest recovered record of the genus. Extant Phycosoma species are still present in Chiapas, suggesting an extended evolutionary history of the genus in the region despite major geological changes over this time span in North America.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/28d74f14-0f80-405d-a165-f24749e15d05

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Articles
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Journal of Paleontology , Volume 96 , Issue 6 , November 2022 , pp. 1346 - 1353
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Paleontological Society

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