One hundred million years of skin feeding? Extended parental care in a Neotropical caecilian (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)

Maternal dermatophagy, the eating of maternal skin by offspring, is an unusual form of parental investment involving co-evolved specializations of both maternal skin and offspring dentition, which has been recently discovered in an African caecilian amphibian. Here we report the discovery of this form of parental care in a second, distantly related Neotropical species Siphonops annulatus, where it is characterized by the same syndrome of maternal and offspring specializations. The detailed similarities of skin feeding in different caecilian species provide strong evidence of its homology, implying its presence in the last common ancestor of these species. Biogeographic considerations, the separation of Africa and South American land masses and inferred timescales of amphibian diversification all suggest that skin feeding is an ancient form of parental care in caecilians, which has probably persisted in multiple lineages for more than 100 Myr. These inferences support the hypotheses that (i) maternal dermatophagy is widespread in oviparous direct-developing caecilians, and (ii) that viviparous caecilians that feed on the hypertrophied maternal oviduct evolved from skin-feeding ancestors. In addition to skin-feeding, young S. annulatus were observed to congregate around, and imbibe liquid exuded from, the maternal cloacal opening

Revisão de Anyphaeninae Bertkau a nível de gêneros na Região Neotropical (Araneae, Anyphaenidae) Revision of Anyphaeninae Bertkau at genera level in the Neotropical Region (Araneae, Anyphaenidae)

<abstract language="eng">The subfamily Anyphaeninae is revised at genera level in the Neotropical region. Anyphaeninae is diagnosed by the tracheal spiracle approximately in the midway of venter or between the midway of venter and the epigastric groove; retromargin of chelicerae with more than four denticles; and male palp with tegulum basket-like or cup-like, without the basal lightly sclerotized area. The subfamily contais 32 genera, 14 of which are new: Aljassa (type species Teudis annulipes Caporiacco), Buckupiella (type species B. imperatriz sp.n., from Brazil and Argentina), Hatitia (type species H.yhuaia sp.n., from Peru) Iguarima (type species Anyphaena censoria Keyserling), Ilocomba (type species I. marta sp.n., from Colombia), Italaman (type species I. santamarina sp.n., from Brazil, Colombia and Argentine), Jessica (type species Osoriella osoriana Mello-Leitão), Katissa (type from Jamaica), Otoniela (type species O. adisi sp.n., from Brazil), Pippuhana (type species P. gandu sp.n., from Brazil), Timbuka (type species T. boquete sp.n., from Costa Rica, Panamá and Colômbia), Umuara (type species Clubiona fasciata Blackwall), Xiruana (type species Aysha gracilipes Keyserling). Other new species and the male of Bromelina zuniala are described: Iguarima pichinha and Lepajan edwardsi from Ecuador; Temnida rosário, Umuara pydanieli and U. juquia from Brazil; Umuara junin, Hatitia conchaque from Peru; Ilcomba perija from Colombia. Twelve new synonyms are presenteei: Wuljilopsis keyserlingi soares & Camargo witn W. tenuips (Keyserling); Teudis foliatus Schmidt with Patrera ruber (F.O.P. - Cambridge); Teudis moreirae Mello-Leitão with Teudis angusticeps (Keyserling); Anyphaena rufibarbis Mello-Leitão with Jessica osoriana (Mello-Leitão); Aysha cinereoviítata Mello-Leitão with Iguarima censoria (Keyserling); Teudis bucolicus Chickering with Katissa simplicipalpis (Simon); Gayenna minutissima Petrunkevitch with Lupetíiana mordax (O.P.-Cambridge); Teudis adfabilis (Keyserling) and Teudis leucochlorus Mello-Leitão with Umuara fasciata (Blackwall); Aysha fulviceps Keyserling with Xiruana gracilipes (Keyserling); Aysha mandibularis (Keyserling) with Aljassa subpallida (L. Koch). Seventy new combinations are presented: Wulfilopsis frenata (Keyserling); W. pygmaea (Keyserling); W. tenuipes (Keyserling); W. tripunctata (Mello-Leitão); Patrera apora (Chamberlin); P.armata (Chickering); P.auricoma (L. Koch); P. cita (Keyserling); P. lauta (Chickering); P. longipes (Keyserling); P. procera (Keyserling); P. puta (O.P.-Cambridge); P. ruber (F.O.P.-Cambridge); P. stylifer (F.O.P.-Cambridge); P. virgata (Keyserling); Teudis bicornutus (Tullgren); T. buelowae (Mello-Leitão); T. comstocki (Soares & Camargo); T. morenus (Mello-Leitão); Jessica campesina (Bauab-Vianna); J. glabra (Keyserling); J. goodnight (Soares & Camargo); J. osoriana (Mello-Leitão); J. erythrostoma (Mello- Leitão); J. rubricephala (Mello-Leitão); Iguarima censoria (Keyserling); Katissa delicatula (Banks); K. elegans (Banks); K. lycosoides (Chickering); K. simplicipalpis (Simon); K. zimarae (Reimoser); Otoniella quadrivittata (Simon); Lupettiana mordax (O.P.-Cambridge); L. parvula (Banks); L. perpusilla (Banks); L. spinosa (Bryant); Timbuka bogotensis (L. Koch); T. granadensis (Keyserling); T. larvata (O.P.-Cambridge), T. masseneti (Berland); T.meridiana (L. Koch); Tafana quelchii (pocock); T. silhavyi (Caporiacco); T. straminea (L. Koch); Umuara fascia J(Blackwall); Aysha basilisca (Mello-Leitâo); A. diversicolor (Keyserling); A. heraldica (Mello-Leitão); A. gentilis (Keyserling); A. helvola (Keyserling); A. robusta (Keyserling); A. rubro- maculata (Keyserling); A. striolata (Keyserling); A. subruba (Keyserling); Xiruana affinis (Mello-Leitão); X. gracilipes (Keyserling); X. hirsuta (Mello-Leitão); X. tetraseta (Mello-Leitão); Aljassa annulipes (Caporiacco); A. notata (Keyserling); A. poicila (Chamberlin); A. subpallida(L. Koch); A. venezuelica (Caporiacco); Pippuhana calcar (Bryant); H. donaldi (Chickering); P. unicolor (Keyserling); Hatitia defolonguei (Berland); H. riveti (Berland); H. sericea (L. Koch). Two spedes are revalidated: Sillus dubius (Chickering) and Hatitia defolongli (Berland). Lectotypes and paralectotypes are here designated for eigth species: Anyphaena censoria Keyserling, 1891; A. adfabilis Keyserling, 1891. A simplicipalpis Simon, 1897; Aysha septena Franganillo, 1935; A. cinereovittata Mello-Leitão, 1945; Osoriella osoriana Mello-Leitão, 1922; Teudis sordidus Mello-Leitão, 1941 e Temnida simplex Simon, 1896. A key to 32 genera of Anyphaeninae are provided. Diagnoses, descriptions and illustrations are provided for the genera and species included in this work