A revision of jumping spider species groups formerly placed in the genus Metaphidippus, with a discussion of salticid phylogeny (Araneae)

The primary focus of this work is a taxonomic revision of a genus of common New World jumping spiders, but phylogenetic relationships are also explored at various levels within the family using newly discovered characters of the genitalia, mouthparts, and courtship behavior. Several mouthpart and other characters were found which lend support to hypotheses about the basal divisions of the family; other characters, especially of genitalia and mouthparts, help to delimit the subfamily Dendryphantinae and discover its relatives. The Dendryphantinae includes the large New World genus Metaphidippus. Various species are moved from this polyphyletic genus to other genera such as Messua, Phanias, or Sassacus, and a new genus, delimited by characters of genitalia, courtship, mouthparts, and color pattern, is described for the galathea group of Metaphidippus.; Though the galathea group includes some of the commonest jumping spiders of North and Central America, its species were last fully revised at the turn of the century and have been poorly known. The 38 known species of the galathea group and several related species are described and illustrated, including eighteen species described as new. Male-female associations were achieved for all species north of Mexico. Courtship behavior is described for 22 species of the galathea group, karyotypes for 10 species, and habitat information for most species. A preliminary hypothesis of relationships within the group is presented.