Skip to main content
Dryad

From Gondwana to GAARlandia: Evolutionary history and biogeography of ogre‐faced spiders (Deinopis)

Cite this dataset

Chamberland, Lisa et al. (2020). From Gondwana to GAARlandia: Evolutionary history and biogeography of ogre‐faced spiders (Deinopis) [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gxd2547gz

Abstract

Aim

We explore the evolutionary history of the ogre‐faced spiders (Deinopis) from their Early Cretaceous origins to present day. Specifically, we investigate how vicariance and dispersal have shaped distribution patterns of this lineage. Within the Caribbean, we test the role of GAARlandia, a hypothesized land bridge that connected South America to the Greater Antilles during the Eocene–Oligocene transition (~35–33 Ma), in the biogeography of Deinopis.

Taxon

Araneae: Deinopidae: Deinopis.

Location

Caribbean islands, with additional global exemplars.

Methods

Combining standard Sanger sequence data with an Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) phylogenomic dataset, we use Bayesian inference to estimate the phylogenetic relationships of Deinopis. “BioGeoBEARS” is used to test the GAARlandia hypothesis, and to pinpoint major dispersal events in the biogeographic history of Deinopis.

Results

The phylogeny supports the nesting of a Caribbean clade within a continental grade. Model comparisons indicate GAARlandia as the best fitting model, and the biogeographic analyses reflect the geologic history within the Caribbean. Ancient and recent overwater dispersal events are also indicated within this lineage. There is also an ancient 113 Ma split into Old and New World clades.

Main Conclusions

The Deinopis phylogeny corresponds well with geography. This is reflected in the support for the GAARlandia land bridge hypothesis and the phylogenetic relationships within and among Caribbean islands mirroring nuances of Caribbean geologic history. Overwater dispersal also plays an important role in the biogeographic history of this lineage as implicated in the colonization of the volcanic and sedimentary Lesser Antilles and in a “reverse” colonization of North America. The spider family Deinopidae is an ancient lineage with origins dating back to Gondwana. While overwater dispersal has clearly played a role in the biogeography of the genus, the Deinopis phylogeny bears a strong signature of ancient geological events.

Usage notes

See README file for further instructions

Funding

National Science Foundation, Award: DEB-1314749

National Science Foundation, Award: DEB-1050253

National Science Foundation, Award: DEB-0841610

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, Award: DEB-1311494

Auburn University Department of Biological Sciences and College of Sciences and Mathematics

Auburn University Cellular and Molecular Biosciences Peaks of Excellence Research Fellowship

University of Vermont Ronald Suiter Prize