Molecular phylogeny of the large-bodied dendryphantines of North America: <i>Paraphidippus</i>, <i>Phidippus</i>, <i>Pelegrina</i>, and their relatives (Salticidae: Dendryphantina)

Abstract Despite the great advances in salticid systematics, the phylogeny of the subtribe Dendryphantina remains in part unresolved and many of the taxonomic boundaries of the genera are still problematic since previous systematic phylogenetic studies relied on sparse taxonomic samplings. Thus, further in-depth studies of the different groups are required to establish the generic boundaries and to piece together the genus-level relationships. Here, we examine more closely the phylogeny of the large-bodied North American jumping spiders and their relatives: Paraphidippus, Pelegrina, Phidippus, Beata sensu stricto, Metaphidippus manni group species, Dendryphantes nigromaculatus, Eris militaris, and Nagaina incunda. We elucidate the relationships among the genera and test their monophyly, employing molecular data from the mitochondrial gene fragment cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and nuclear gene fragments from histone 3 and actin 5C, analyzed under maximum likelihood approaches. Based on our results, the North American species D. nigromaculatus is related to the Palearctic species of Dendryphantes. Meanwhile, the previously established relationship between the genera Phidippus, Paraphidippus, and Beata sensu stricto is confirmed, whereas Pelegrina, Eris militaris, Nagaina cf. incunda, and species from the Metaphidippus manni group form another clade. Within this clade, Pelegrina is nonmonophyletic and is closely related to the Metaphidippus manni group species, which indeed form a monophyletic group. Therefore, this study is crucial for singling out the taxa in need of revision, as well as consolidating important relationships within the subtribe Dendryphantina.