Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Explanation of Names
Greek, from a combining form of Attic, 'Earth', and
Lycosa; 'the underground
Lycosa'.
(1)Remarks
"Phylogenetic analyses of molecular and morphological traits indicate new species and new patterns of divergence for Florida's Geolycosa wolf spiders." 2001
here
S. D. Marshall, K. Thornburg, and W. Hoeh.
Currently, 15 species of Geolycosa have been described based on a limited number of morphological characteristics. The state of Florida has nine Geolycosa sp., seven living in scrubs and sandhills across the state. The goals of this project are to (1) estimate the evolutionary relationships among Floridian Geolycosa populations and species using comparisons of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA sequences and morphological traits, and (2) use the hypothesized relationships to infer the historical patterns of the evolutionary diversification of Geolycosa across the state. Geolycosa individuals from a total of 33 Florida scrub sites were collected and identified based on morphological characteristics. Total DNAs from 74 individuals representing the species G. escambiensis, G. micanopy, G. patellonigra, G. x. xera, G. x. archboldi, G. hubbelli, G. ornatipes, G. wrighti, G. missouriensis, G. rafaelana, G. turricola, and G. pikei were extracted and a portion (ca. 710 base pairs) of the COI gene amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. To date, the COI fragments from 38 individuals representing 11 species of Geolycosa have been cycle sequenced. Preliminary phylogenetic analyses of the COI sequences and morphological traits suggest that (1) Floridian Geolycosa are not a monophyletic assemblage, (2) G. xera, G. escambiensis, G. hubbelli, G. patellonigra, and G. micanopy are not valid species in a phylogenetic sense, and (3) the two distinct ecotypes of Geolycosa have evolved repeatedly across the state. We also found that the patterns of phylogeographic divergence different from those previously proposed. Earlier models for the patterns of diversification of Floridian Geolycosa proposed that scrub Geolycosa are the descendants of Atlantic coastal species, which diverged on the interglacial islands that comprised the ancient Florida peninsula in a north-south pattern. We found evidence that the Geolycosa of the entire eastern USA are derived from ancestors in the western Panhandle, and that the pattern of divergence within Florida occurred from west to east.
"Evidence for repeated one-way introgression in Geolycosa wolf spiders in Florida" 2004
here
Samuel D. Marshall
J. H. Barrow Field Station, Environmental Studies Program
Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio
W. Randy Hoeh, Ting Wu
Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University Kent, Ohio
Gail Stratton
Department of Biology, University of Mississippi Oxford, Mississippi
Pat Miller
Department of Biology, Northwestern Mississippi Community College
Senatobia, Mississippi
Currently, 18 species of Geolycosa have been described based on a limited number of morphological characteristics. The state of Florida has nine Geolycosa sp., seven living in scrubs and sandhills across the state. We have studied the phylogeny of this genus to: 1. test for any biogeographic signal in the tree topologies and 2. to test for the monophyly of morphospecies. We used cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) in a cladistic analysis. Total DNAs were extracted, amplified, and sequenced from 150 individuals representing the species G. escambiensis , G. micanopy , G. patellonigra , G. x. xera , G. x. archboldi , G. hubbelli , G. ornatipes , G. wrighti , G. rafaelana, G. turricola, G. rogersi, G. fatifera, G. missiouriensis, G. riogrande, Lycosa carolinensis, Sosippus placidus, Pardosa milvina, and lycosid species South Africa and lycosid species Australia. Results to date suggest that: 1. North American Geolycosa is a monophyletic group, within in which the Floridian Geolycosa + Eastern US Geolycosa are a monophyletic assemblage. We also found evidence for repeated introgression events wherein G. micanopy females mated with males of G. hubbelli, G. pattellonigra, G. x. xera, and G. x. archboldi. This conclusion is based on a lack of congruence between the mtDNA trees and trees generated using morphology and nuclear markers. These past hybridization events apparently occurred in one area in southeast Florida.
