Dimitrov Dimitar, Alvarez-Padilla Fernando, Hormiga Gustavo
Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
J Morphol. 2007 Sep;268(9):758-70. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10543.
The female genital morphology of the spiders in the araneoid genus Agriognatha (Tetragnathidae) is described and illustrated. The female genitalia of Agriognatha is characterized by a strong reduction of the sperm storage organs (spermathecae) and by the presence of a specialized distal compartment of the median membranous chamber that functions as a sperm storage organ (the posterior sac). The genital morphology of Agriognatha species is unique among Tetragnathidae and it provides robust synapomorphic evidence for the monophyly of genus. We discuss the phylogenetic implications of these new findings for the placement and monophyly of Agriognatha and for the monophyly of Tetragnathinae.
本文描述并阐释了园蛛科银蛛属蜘蛛的雌性生殖器形态。银蛛属雌性生殖器的特点是储精器官（受精囊）大幅退化，且中膜腔有一个特殊的远端腔室，该腔室起到储精器官的作用（后囊）。银蛛属物种的生殖器形态在园蛛科中独一无二，为该属的单系性提供了有力的共衍征证据。我们讨论了这些新发现对银蛛属的分类地位、单系性以及肖蛸亚科单系性的系统发育意义。
