Integrative taxonomic revision of the woodlouse-hunter spider genus Dysdera (Araneae: Dysderidae) in the Madeira archipelago with notes on its conservation status

Abstract Dysdera is a highly speciose genus of mid-sized, nocturnal hunting spiders, mostly circumscribed to the Mediterranean. The genus managed to colonize all Macaronesian archipelagos, and underwent major diversification in the Canary Islands. Here, we report on an independent diversification event on the Madeira archipelago. Based on the integration of morphological and molecular evidence, we describe 8 new species to science, Dysdera dissimilis sp. nov., Dysdera exigua sp. nov., Dysdera isambertoi sp. nov., Dysdera precaria sp. nov., Dysdera recondita sp. nov., Dysdera sandrae sp. nov., Dysdera teixeirai sp. nov., Dysdera titanica sp. nov. and redescribe Dysdera coiffaiti, Dysdera diversa and Dysdera portisancti. We synonymize Dysdera longibulbis and Dysdera vandeli under D. coiffaiti and D. diversa, respectively. Additionally, we use a multilocus target gene phylogeny to support a single colonization event of the archipelago followed by in situ diversification. We further discuss the discovered diversity patterns and their drivers. We conclude to that many of the species inhabit disturbed or fragile habitats and should be considered of high conservation concern.