A new troglomorphic Metagonia Simon 1893 (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Brazil

Abstract

The genus Metagonia Simon 1893 currently has 81 species widely distributed in South and Central America (Platnick, 2011). The majority of species are leaf-dwellers (Gertsch 1986; Huber 1997; 2004; Huber & Schütte 2009) but some inhabit leaf-litter (Huber et al. 2005) or live in caves (Gertsch 1986; Gertsch & Peck 1992; Huber 1998; Pérez González & Huber 1999). Three species were described from cave environments as eyeless troglobites: M. bellavista Gertsch & Peck 1992 and M. reederi Gertsch & Peck 1992 from the Galapagos Islands and M. debrasi Pérez González & Huber 1999 from Cuba. These species may be local relicts from extinct groups (Gertsch & Peck 1992, Pérez González & Huber 1999). Huber (2000) placed these eyeless species in his ‘group 4’.