On the Neotropical spider genus Ciniflella Mello-Leitão, 1921 (Araneae: Zoropsidae, Tengellinae)

Abstract

We present a systematic study of the South American genus Ciniflella Mello-Leitão, 1921, endemic to southeastern Brazil and northeastern Argentina. The genus can be distinguished from other cribellate members of Zoropsidae by the cribellum with two small, widely spaced patches of spigots, and the male palpal retrolateral tibial apophysis with regularly spaced ridges. We redescribe the type species, Ciniflella lutea Mello-Leitão, 1921 and describe six new species: Ciniflella armasi sp. nov. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Ciniflella iguazu sp. nov. (Misiones, Argentina; Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), Ciniflella itatiaia sp. nov. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Ciniflella lavras sp. nov. (Minas Gerais, Brazil), Ciniflella marambaia sp. nov. (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Ciniflella pains sp. nov. (Minas Gerais, Brazil). We present a phylogenetic analysis of legacy molecular sequences from genomic and target markers, supporting the placement of Ciniflella in the subfamily Tengellinae.