Solifugae are the sixth most diverse order of arachnids in number of families, genera, and species, yet their evolutionary relationships and diversity are largely unknown. New species continue to be discovered. The objectives of this project are: 1) to conduct fieldwork in four regions of greatest solifuge diversity to discover new species, document their distributions, and gather fresh material for morphological, anatomical, behavioral, and genetic studies; 2) reconstruct the evolutionary relationships and revise the higher classification of the order; 3) establish international collaborations and provide resources for solifuge specialists currently working in isolation; 4) train new specialists; and 5) disseminate knowledge about solifuges to the public through scientific publications, seminars, and the internet.
Solifugae are the dominant insect predators in arid ecosystems on all major terrestrial landmasses except Antarctica, Australia, Madagascar, and New Zealand, and form important prey for vertebrates in such habitats. They are indicators for desert environments, their disappearance signaling habitat degradation. Those studied in any detail appear to be habitat-specific and range-restricted, exacerbating their risk of extinction due to human activities, yet they receive no formal protection. Many species may disappear before being described. The activities planned in this project, including training of new taxonomic specialists, will enhance scientific infrastructure and will vastly improve our understanding of these poorly known arachnids.
Solifugae (camel spiders) are the sixth most diverse order of arachnids in number of families, genera, and species, yet their diversity and evolutionary relationships are largely unknown. Many new species await discovery. Solifugae are dominant predators of insects in arid ecosystems on all major terrestrial landmasses except Antarctica, Australia, Madagascar, and New Zealand, and form important prey for vertebrates. They are biological indicators for the health of desert ecosystems; their disappearance is a signal of habitat degradation. Many aspects of solifuge biology remain unknown. Those species studied appear to be habitat-specific and range-restricted, exacerbating their risk of extinction due to human activities. No solifuge species are formally protected and many may disappear before they are described. Despite their diversity, worldwide distribution, ecological importance, and remarkable morphology, behavior and life history, research on these fascinating arachnids had advanced little prior to the funding of this project. This project aimed to coordinate and resuscitate research on Solifugae by (1) conducting fieldwork in four regions of greatest solifuge diversity to discover new species, document their distributions, and gather fresh material for morphological, anatomical, behavioral, and genetic studies; (2) reconstructing the evolutionary relationships and revising the higher classification of the order; (3) establishing international collaborations and providing resources for solifuge specialists currently working in isolation; (4) training new specialists; and (5) disseminating knowledge about solifuges to the public through scientific publications, seminars, and the internet. In achieving these objectives, the project vastly improved the level of knowledge, infrastructure and public interest in these poorly known arachnids. Intellectual Merit: Field inventories were fundamental to the project aims, allowing participants to discover new species and distribution records; improving the understanding of known species; gathering fresh material for comparative morphological, anatomical, behavioral and genetic studies; strengthening collaborative networks among colleagues, and training students in the U.S.A. and abroad. More than 50 field expeditions, fully or partly supported by the project, and another 17 excursions, funded from other sources, were conducted on four continents in 16 countries with a high diversity of solifuges: Africa (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, South Africa); Asia (Israel, Kazakhstan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates); North America (Mexico, Nicaragua, U.S.A.); South America (Argentina, Chile). Solifuge collections in five of these countries (Kenya, Israel, Namibia, South Africa, U.S.A.) and the major historical collections in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, London, Paris, and St. Petersburg were studied, imaged and/or databased. External morphology, internal anatomy, and cytogenetics of the major groups of Solifugae were investigated and documented using field-collected and museum material. Although intended primarily as contributions to an analysis of solifuge evolutionary relationships, based on 65 species representing all solifuge families, these investigations also stimulated further research in these fields. The evolutionary tree assisted the revision of solifuge higher classification and the development of keys for solifuge identification. The taxonomy of three families (Eremobatidae, Karschiidae, Solpugidae) was also revised, using freshly-collected and museum material, modern concepts and methods, including digital imaging of specimens and morphological characters, quantitative phylogenetic analysis of morphological characters and DNA sequences, mapping and spatial analysis of distributions. Broader Impacts: Resources were developed for collaboration and networking among the world’s solifuge specialists and arachnologists interested in solifuge research. A Ph.D. student from Namibia, the country with the world’s greatest solifuge diversity, was trained in the U.S. and revised a dominant African solifuge family. Three graduate students with few resources were assisted with their research on solifuges in Kazakhstan, Portugal and Turkey. A Ph.D. student from Germany, studying solifuge anatomy, and a Masters student from Texas, studying solifuge behavior in Kenya, were assisted with their research. Seven other graduate students in four countries (Kenya, Mexico, Sweden, U.S.A.), four U.S. undergraduates, two Namibian polytech students, 10 high school students, a middle school student and 32 volunteers, many from groups underrepresented in science, participated in fieldwork, sorting, identification and databasing of specimens, georeferencing, digital imaging, collection of measurement data, and DNA sequencing. Scientific infrastructure was enhanced by the collection of more than 4,000 new specimens; synthesis of data in existing collections through sorting, identification and databasing unsorted and unidentified material; production of more than 470 GB of high resolution digital images of type and non-type material; production and analysis of 2,662 sequences (more than 12.5 million base-pairs) of DNA and three morphological matrices (collectively comprising more than 27,980 observations); and development of internet-accessible products for scientific research. A website for the order Solifugae (www.solpugid.com) was developed, providing an online catalog and digital library of solifuge literature; illustrated pages for families under investigation, with digital images of type material; and a searchable specimen database, rendering solifuges more accessible to other biologists, conservationists, land managers, and the public. Research findings were disseminated via 13 research publications, 25 presentations at national and international conferences, and numerous public lectures, demonstrations, courses and interviews.
