Four new caponiids species (Araneae, Caponiidae) from the West Indies and redescription of Nops blandus (Bryant).

We update the knowledge of the unusual Caponiidae spiders from the West Indies with the description of four new species, and the redescription of Nops blandus (Bryant) including the first description of the female. Specimens previously assigned to N. blandus from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico represents two new species: Nops hispaniola n. sp. and Nops agnarssoni n. sp. respectively; while the distribution of the former is limited to British and U. S. Virgin Islands. The others two new species are Nops finisfurvus n. sp. from British Virgin Islands and Cubanops luquillo n. sp. from Puerto Rico. Female internal genitalia of Nops species are described, photographed and illustrated for the first time.

Revision of the spider genus Nyetnops Platnick amp; Lise (Araneae: Caponiidae) with proposition of the new genus Nopsma, from Central and South America.

The singular spider genus Nyetnops Platnick Lise is revised and three new species are described from Peru (Nyetnops naylienae n. sp.), Bolivia (Nyetnops lachonta n. sp.) and Brazil (Nyetnops buruti n. sp.). An updated diagnosis is proposed for the type species Nyetnops guarani Platnick Lise and new records from the Brazilian State of São Paulo are presented for this species. The Ecuadorian species Nyetnops juchuy Dupérré is elected as the type species of a new genus herein proposed (Nopsma n. gen.), which also harbors three other new species from Peru (Nopsma enriquei n. sp.), Colombia (Nopsma florencia n. sp.) and Nicaragua (Nopsma armandoi n. sp.).

The genus Syspira Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Miturgidae) from Hispaniola, with the description of four new species.

The species of Syspira Simon from Hispaniola are revised and detailed documentation is provided for all known species from this island. Four new species (Syspira alayoni sp. n., S.  armasi sp. n., S.  barbacoa sp. n., and S.  bryantae sp. n.), and the unknown male of Syspira agujas Brescovit, Sánchez-Ruiz Bonaldo are described. New distribution records were found for three known species (S. agujas, S. cimitarra Brescovit, Sánchez-Ruiz Bonaldo and S.  medialuna Brescovit, Sánchez-Ruiz Bonaldo). The Hispaniolan endemic species Teminius monticola (Bryant, 1948) is transferred to Syspira based on the revision of its holotype. A key for Hispaniola Syspira species is provided. These species can be separated into two distinct groups based on features of the male palpal morphology and female genitalia: the cimitarra group including S. cimitarra, S. jimmyi Brescovit, Sánchez-Ruiz Bonaldo, S. alayoni and S. barbacoa sp. n., and the agujas group including S. agujas, S. medialuna, S. monticola comb. n., S. armasi sp. n. and S. bryantae sp. n.

A revision of the Neotropical spider genus Nops MacLeay (Araneae: Caponiidae) with the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the Nopinae genera.

The spider genus Nops MacLeay is revised, with redescriptions of 22 previously known species and descriptions of 12 new species. A new diagnosis for the genus is provided and keys to separate the species are proposed. After this revision Nops includes 34 extant species, thereof 15 (44%) occur in the Caribbean Islands, four (12%) in Central America and 15 (44%) in South America. Females of Nops meridionalis Keyserling and Nops gertschi Chickering are found and described for the first time. Three new synonymies are proposed: Nops virginicus Sánchez-Ruiz with Nops blandus Bryant, Nops craneae Chickering with Nops maculatus Simon and Nops proseni Birabén with Nops farhati Prosen. Four species are considered inquerenda: Nops anisitsi Strand, Nops bellulus Chamberlin, Nops branicki (Taczanowski) and Nops glaucus Hasselt. The following new species are described: N. jaragua n. sp., N. navassa n. sp., and N. pallidus n. sp. from the Caribbean region; N. campeche n. sp. and N. tico n. sp. from Central America, and N. alexenriquei n. sp., N. amazonas n. sp., N. bahia n. sp., N. ipojuca n. sp., N. itapetinga n. sp., N. minas n. sp. and N. pocone n. sp. from South America. New geographical records and distribution maps are provided for all species, with illustrations and reviewed diagnoses. The Nops species are restricted to the Neotropical region, from the Caribbean Islands and Mexico to the north of Argentina. The highest species richness is concentrated in the Wider Caribbean Region, including Central America and the north of Colombia and Venezuela where 64.7% of the species occur. Endemism in the Caribbean islands is very high; most of these species are single island endemics. A cladistic analysis, based on morphological data, was executed to test the monophyly of the genus. This is the first cladistic analysis of Caponiidae, and it includes besides the Nops species, 1) the six other species that were transferred from Nops, now in the genera Orthonops, Cubanops, Tarsonops and Medionops, and 2) Nopsides ceralbonus Chamberlin and Nyetnops guarani Platnick Lise. Therefore, representatives of all known Nopinae genera are included in the ingroup. The data matrix comprises 41 taxa scored for 47 morphological characters. The analyses under equal weights resulted in six equally parsimonious trees of 99 steps. All these trees are congruent with a unique hypothesis for Nopinae genera. Thus, all topological differences among the most parsimonious trees were the consequence of different hypotheses of relationships within Nops. The same result was also found under implied weighting with constants of concavity k = 2 to 13, where the topology of all trees was congruent for a single Nopinae genera hypothesis, but relationships within Nops were not resolved. All analysis under equal and implied weights recovered the monophyly of Nops with high support values, but internal clades within the genus showed low branch supports. Our results thus suggest that to resolve the internal relationships of Nops, studies based on molecular evidence are necessary to counteract the deficit of morphological data. The hypothesis obtained for Nopinae showed high branch support values for most of clades, corroborating all the transfers made from Nops. Medionops was recovered as the sister group of Nops with high support values. Nops, Medionops and Nopsides form a closely related, distinct spider group among nopine, supported by five unambiguous synapomorphies. Two of these synapomorphies could be functionally related: the presence of an arolium on the anterior pretarsi and the elongated and dorsally reflexed unpaired claw on the anterior legs. Nopsides appears to be a genus with apomorphic characters, presenting highly modified legs, but lacking the crista and gladius, and gaining a pair of anterior lateral eyes. Nyetnops is sister to all other nopine genera. Our results identified the necessity of further studies on nopine leg structures (arolium, crista, gladius and adesmatic joints) to improve understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of Nopinae genera.

On the spider genus Syspira Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Miturgidae) in the Caribbean: four new species from Dominican Republic.

Four new species of Syspira Simon, 1895 are described: Syspira cimitarra sp. nov., Syspira jimmyi sp. nov., Syspira medialuna sp. nov. and Syspira agujas sp. nov., all endemic in the Dominican Republic.

Descriptions of two new genera of the spider family Caponiidae (Arachnida, Araneae) and an update of Tisentnops and Taintnops from Brazil and Chile.

New members of the spider family Caponiidae from Brazil and Chile are presented. Three new species in previously known genera are described: Taintnops papososp. n. from Chile, and the Brazilian Tisentnops mineirosp. n. and Tisentnops onixsp. n., both belonging to a genus known only from its damaged type. Additionally, two new non-nopine Brazilian genera are proposed: Nasutonopsgen. n. including three new species: Nasutonops chapeusp. n., Nasutonops sincorasp. n. and Nasutonops xaxadosp. n.; and Carajasgen. n., known only from the type species Carajas parauasp. n. Both new genera have entire, rather than sub-segmented tarsi. Therefore, they are not included in the caponiid subfamily Nopinae. Nasutonopsgen. n. is characterized by the presence of a projected clypeal horn, unique among caponiids. Additionally, the first blind caponiids are described: Tisentnops mineirosp. n. from the state of Minas Gerais and Carajas parauasp. n. from the state of Pará. Both of these species are found only in caves and completely lack eyes.

On the taxonomic placement of the Cuban spider Nops ariguanabo Alayón and the description of a new Mexican Tarsonops (Araneae, Caponiidae).

The Cuban spider species Nops ariguanabo Alayón, 1986 is transferred to the genus Tarsonops Chamberlin based on the presence of several false sutures on the anterior tarsi and metatarsi, and a broad, subcircular carapace. A redescription of the species, including the description of female internal genitalia is provided. Additionally, a new species of Tarsonops from Mexico is described. The first SEM photos and a new diagnosis for the genus Tarsonops are included.