Updated geographical distribution of the family Barychelidae Simon, 1889 from Brazil (Araneae: Mygalomorphae)

Abstract

Spiders of the family Barychelidae, the sister group to Theraphosidae, are mainly concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Neotropical region, Barychelidae is represented by five genera found in Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Barychelid spiders are known for their sedentary behavior, spending most of their lives in burrows constructed with a hinged trapdoor made of silk and soil. This habit and the difficulty in identifying and locating their camouflaged burrows, poses challenges to obtaining specimens thereby obscuring the group’s true diversity. Examination of numerous specimens from different zoological collections allowed us to expand the distribution of Barychelidae spiders adding 95 new records. In addition to geographic data from colleted material, we were able to find 56 iNaturalist observations of barychelid spiders, with 29 in unpublished locations, totaling 124 new records in Brazil. Overall, the expanded geographical distribution of Barychelidae spiders in Brazil has revealed remarkable diversity, with numerous species covering a variety of habitats. This distribution mapping can provide valuable information for the study of populations variation and evolutionary relationships and help in the biogeographical research of the family Barychelidae.