A review of the Afrotropical tracheline sac spiders (Araneae: Corinnidae), with revisions of three genera

English: The sac spider subfamily Trachelinae (Araneae: Corinnidae) is currently represented in the Afrotropical Region by eight genera, namely Austrachelas Lawrence, 1938, Brachyphaea Simon, 1895, Cetonana Strand, 1929, Paccius Simon, 1897, Pronophaea Simon, 1897, Spinotrachelas Haddad, 2006, Thysanina Simon, 1910 and Trachelas L. Koch, 1872. The genera Brachyphaea and Pronophaea are misplaced, and most likely belong to the Corinninae, while Austrachelas is probably a gallieniellid. Numerous revisions have been done on New World and South-East Asian trachelines, but little work has been carried out on the fauna of the Afrotropical Region. In this dissertation a review of the literature pertaining to Afrotropical tracheline taxonomy, as well as the ecology, biology and medical importance of tracheline sac spiders, is given. A diagnosis for the five valid genera is given, together with a key to the genera. Three genera, namely Cetonana, Thysanina and Trachelas, were revised in the Afrotropical Region, with redescriptions of described species and descriptions of 58 new species. Additional notes on their biology and distribution were given, where possible. Specimens from 19 collections were examined, with measurements and genitalic drawings done for each species. In the genus Cetonana, Cetonana coenosa (Simon, 1897) and C. martini (Simon, 1897) were redescribed, and C. curvipes (Tucker, 1920), C. tridentata (Lessert, 1923) and C. simoni (Lawrence, 1942) were proposed as junior synonyms of C. martini. Ten new species were described. The type specimen of C. aculifera (Strand, 1916) from Madagascar could not be traced and is presumed destroyed, and therefore this species is considered nomen dubium. Within the monotypic genus Thysanina, the type species T. serica Simon, 1910 was redescribed and five new species were described from the Afrotropical Region (Lyle & Haddad, 2006). The genus Trachelas, with a cosmopolitan distribution, was only revised for the Afrotropical mainland. The species T. chubbi Lessert, 1921, T. pusillus Lessert, 1923, T. roeweri Lawrence, 1923, T. schenkeli Lessert, 1923 and T. sylvae Caporiacco, 1949 were redescribed. Forty-eight new species were described from various localities throughout the region. Trachelas scopulifer Simon, 1896 was redescribed, and its transfer to the genus Thysanina is proposed. The juvenile type specimen of T. punctatus Simon, 1886 could not be traced and is presumed lost, and this species is therefore considered nomen dubium. The results of this dissertation have highlighted how poorly the Afrotropical Region is studied, and strengthens the need for further sampling within the region as current records are very fragmented. This may result in the discovery of further new species, as many Afrotropical trachelines apparently have restricted distributions. Results of this dissertation have provided some clarity to Trachelinae taxonomy in the region, particularly with regards to general morphology and diagnostic characteristics of genera, and will also contribute to national and international initiatives, such as the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) and the African Arachnida Database (AFRAD), which aim to discover, describe and to make an inventory of the arachnid fauna of South Africa and Africa, respectively. However, to better understand the relationships between the genera a cladistic analysis should be performed on the subfamily, and should follow a revision of Paccius and the description of new genera from the region.