Morphology and evolution of cobweb spider male genitalia (Araneae, Theridiidae).(Report) From: Journal of Arachnology | Date: May 1, 2007| Author: Agnarsson, Ingi; Coddington, Jonathan A.; Knoflach, Barbara | COPYRIGHT 2007 American Arachnological Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

ABSTRACT. This study elucidates the homology of elements of the male palps in the spider family Theridiidae. We survey and illustrate 60 species from 29 out of the 86 currently recognized genera representing all subfamilies. The study is buttressed by a phylogenetic framework, and uses a new method to evaluate critically competing homology hypotheses based on various criteria. Among the classic criteria for homology, topology performed better than special similarity, and much bette...