Studies in evolutionary biology and biogeography increasingly rely on the estimation of
dated phylogenetic trees using molecular clocks. In turn, the calibration of such clocks is …

We present a phylogenetic analysis of spiders using a dataset of 932 spider species,
representing 115 families (only the family Synaphridae is unrepresented), 700 known …

Spiders (Araneae) make up a remarkably diverse lineage of predators that have
successfully colonized most terrestrial ecosystems. All spiders produce silk, and many …

Spider silks are the toughest known biological materials, yet are lightweight and virtually
invisible to the human immune system, and they thus have revolutionary potential for …

Higher-level classifications often must account for monotypic taxa representing depauperate
evolutionary lineages and lacking synapomorphies of their better-known, well-defined sister …

We test the limits of the spider superfamily Araneoidea and reconstruct its interfamilial
relationships using standard molecular markers. The taxon sample (363 terminals) …

Instances of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) provide the context for rigorous tests of biological
rules of size evolution, such as Cope's rule (phyletic size increase), Rensch's rule (allometric …

Molecular-based divergence dating methods, or molecular clocks, are the primary
neontological tool for estimating the temporal origins of clades. While the appropriate use of …

We present a new phylogeny of the spider family Araneidae based on five genes (28S, 18S,
COI, H3 and 16S) for 158 taxa, identified and mainly sequenced by us. This includes 25 …

Cobweb spiders (Theridiidae) are highly diverse from the perspective of species richness,
morphological diversity, variety of web architecture, and behavioral repertoires. The family …