Molecular phylogeny of east Asian wolf spiders (Araneae : Lycosidae) inferred from mitochondrial 12S ribosomal DNA

Copyright © 2007 Entomological Society of AmericaThis study investigates molecular phylogenetic relationships of East Asian wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae), focusing on species from Korea. We analyzed a sequence data set making up a portion of the mitochondrial 12S gene from 22 Korean lycosid species, belonging to seven genera (Alopecosa, Arctosa, Lycosa, Pardosa, Pirata, Trochosa, and Xerolycosa) in four subfamilies (Evippinae, Lycosinae, Pardosinae, and Venoniinae). All Korean wolf spiders were well grouped within monophyletic clades corresponding to existing genera, with the exception of Arctosa and Alopecosa, which were both polyphyletic. The genus Arctosa formed two distantly separated clades, and the clade composed of A. kwangreungensis and A. ebicha was posited as the sister group of all the other Korean wolf spiders. We also combined our data set with 44 previously published sequences from other lycosids from various geographical regions. As with the analyses for Korean taxa, the genus Arctosa still contained two distantly separated clades; the clade made up of A. kwangreungensis and A. ebicha was a sister clade to all the other lycosid spiders, whereas the clade of A. subamylacea and A. leopardus was a sister clade to that of the Australasian genera (Anoteropsis, (Artoria, Notocosa)). Alopecosa cinnameopilosa remained as a sister clade to all Pardosa group. The results indicate that the phylogenetic placement of the two Arctosa species (A. kwangreungensis and A. ebicha) and A. cinnameopilosa warrant reconsideration in further studies at the subfamily and generic levels, respectively.Yung Chul Park, Jung-Sun Yoo, Michael P. Schwarz, Nicholas Murphy, and Joo-Pil Ki