Taxonomic Study Of Sinopoda Spiders From China(Arachnida:Araneae:Sparassidae)

With 62 described species,the genus Sinopoda Jager,1999 is the fourth largest genus of the family Sparassidae,although its actual species diversity is insufficiently known.This genus is widely distributed in East Asia(52 species in China,Japan,and Korea)and Southeast Asia(10 species in Malaysia and Laos).More than half of the known diversity,41 species,is known from China.Therefore,the taxonomy research of Chinese Sinopoda will not only enhance our understanding of the origin,evolution,phylogeography and phylogenetic relationships of world Sinopoda,but also shed lights on the scientific issues of world Sparassidae such as the issue of subfamily classification systems of this family.The present doctoral dissertation deals with the taxonomic study of Sinopoda from the morphology level and DNA level based on the Sinopoda specimens accumulated over the years in the lab and from the field collections.Two parts are included:Part ?:We reported the result of a detailed study of 41 species including 20 new species(Sinopoda abstrusa sp.nov.;Sinopoda aequalis sp.nov.;Sinopoda apiculiformis sp.nov.;Sinopoda brevis sp.nov.;Sinopoda changdeensis sp.nov.;Sinopoda columnaria sp.nov.;Sinopoda curva sp.nov.;Sinopoda daozhenensis sp.nov.;Sinopoda dilacerabilis sp.nov.;Sinopoda erromera sp.nov.;Sinopoda humilis sp.nov.;Sinopoda lata sp.nov.;Sinopoda luyui sp.nov.;Sinopoda miniscula sp.nov.;Sinopoda ovalis sp.nov.;Sinopoda pseudonuda sp.nov.;Sinopoda pyramidata sp.nov.;Sinopoda tumefacta sp.nov.;Sinopoda yaanensis sp.nov.;Sinopoda yanlingensis sp.nov.),21 known species containing 1 known species with newly reported females(Sinopoda pengi Song&Zhu,1999)and 2 known species with newly reported males(Sinopoda liui Zhong,Cao&Liu,2017;Sinopoda longshan Yin,Peng,Yan&Bao,2000)in the world,1 known species with wrong female(Sinopoda longiducta Zhang,Zhang&Zhang,2015).Descriptions,photos,specimens examined and geography data are given to each new species or new reported species.We provided photos,specimens examined and geography data to each known species.Part II:We collected all the Sinopoda molecular data from GenBank and provided additional novel data obtained from 274 specimens from 105 collection sites belonging to 57 species in 6 genera,among of which 18 specimens from belonging to 15 species in 6 genera represent outgroups.We amplified and sequenced five gene fragments including two mitochondrial:the large-subunit ribosomal RNA(16S rRNA,hereafter 16S)and the protein-coding cytochrome C oxidase subunit I(COI);and three nuclear:the protein-coding histone H3(H3),the large-subunit ribosomal RNA(28S rRNA,hereafter 28S),and the nearly complete small-subunit ribosomal RNA(18S rRNA,hereafter 18S).We combined sequence data from five genes dataset in a total-evidence phylogenetic analysis,and explore the phylogenetic signal of the combined dataset,individual genes,and gene combinations with both Maximum likelihood analysis and Bayesian analysis.The molecular phylogeny is largely congruent with prior morphological studies and current taxonomy and should provide a useful tool for Sinopoda classification and for comparative analyses.Our results recovered the monophyly of this genus,also supported the only known group(Sinopoda okinawana-group)and modified female of Sinopoda longiducta Zhang,Zhang&Zhang,2015.We established four new groups as following according to the molecular phylogeny and morphological characters:Sinopoda anguina-group,Sinopoda nuda-group,Sinopoda pengi-group and Sinopoda triangula-group.The phylogenetic analyses revealed strong geographic structure,as exemplified by three clades:(Tibet of China,Mainland of China,Hainan Island).