Genital asymmetry is a uncommon phenomenon in spiders, and directional asymmetry, the place all specimens are same-sided, is especially scarce. Within the New World genus Metagonia, solely M. mariguitarensis (González-Sponga, 1998) was beforehand identified to be directionally uneven. Right here we describe three additional species within the genus Metagonia that every one share directionally uneven female and male genitalia: M. embera Huber sp. nov. (Colombia and Panama), M. uca Huber sp. nov. (Colombia), and M. wayuu Huber sp. nov. (Colombia and Venezuela). Metagonia uca is the species with essentially the most excessive asymmetry and in addition the one species the place feminine asymmetry just isn’t restricted to inside constructions however extends to the epigynal scape. Interspecific CO1 distances amongst these 4 species ranged from 15.5 to twenty.9%. Intraspecific distances principally ranged from 0.0–1.7%, however increased values have been discovered for M. mariguitarensis (as much as 9.1%). Whereas the obtainable proof means that directional asymmetry in Metagonia arose solely as soon as (within the final widespread ancestor of the 4 species above), the origin of the extra widespread asymmetry in Metagonia (feminine antisymmetry) is much less clear. We briefly talk about the phylogenetic sample of antisymmetry in Metagonia, concluding that additional targeted analysis is important to offer the essential information for such an evaluation.
Huber, B. A., & Meng, G. (2025). New species of Metagonia Simon with directionally uneven female and male genitalia (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 1026(1), 199–235. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1026.3117
