Systematics and phylogeny of zyngoonoid goblin spiders (Araneae, Oonopidae)

Goblin spiders (Oonopidae) are very small, free-living spiders that occu r throughout the temperate and tropical regions of the world. Since the establishment of the family in 1890, more than 80 oonopid genera have be en described. Unfortunately, the phylogenetic relationships among these genera remain poorly known. In this thesis we have identified a large group of 12 genera, the zyngoonoid group. These spiders exhibit a number of highly unusual features, including entelegy ne female genitalia, very simple male pedipalps, and modified male endit es that appear to function as copulatory courtship devices. In order to test the monophyly of the group, we com piled a large morphological data matrix (47 taxa, 241 informative c haracters). This matrix was analysed under a variety of conditions (equal or implied weighting, multistate characters unordered or ordered, different collapsing rules). All analyses provided strong support for t he monophyly of the zyngoonoid group. We have also revised three of the zyngoonoid genera: Coxapopha Platnick 2000, Antoonops Fannes & Jocqué 2008, and Zyngoonops Benoit 1977. The Neotropical genus Coxapop ha is a highly distinct taxon, characterized by ventral apophyses on the male s abdomen. The genus is very rare: less than 15 specimens have ever been found. We have redescribed the type species, Coxapopha diblemma Platnick, on the basis of a new specimen collected near the type locality. In addition, we have conducted the first SEM study of th e female genitalia of Coxapopha. The West African genus Antoonops includes four species ( A. corbulo, A. bouaflensis, A. iita, and A. nebula) and has a wide distribution, occuring from the Ivory Coast in the west to Nigeria in the east. All members are very effective ant mimics: the abdomen is distinctly constricted, especially in males, and most species have colour patterns that enhance their antlike appear ance. All four species of Antoonops were studied extensively by SEM, with special emphasis on the male mouthparts, the pedipalps, and the female internal genitalia. Prior to thi s study, the genus Zyngoonops was monotypic, including only Z. clandestinus Benoit from the DR Congo. This species ranked among the most enigmatic of all African goblin spiders: only one specime n, an adult female, was known. In this thesis, we have redescribed Z. clandestinus on the basis of new topotypical material. In addition, we have described nine new Zyngoonops species from the DR Congo (Z. moffetti, Z