Gaarlandia
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Spintharus
Spintharus is a genus of cobweb spiders (Theridiidae: Argyrodinae) established by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1850. The genus ranges from the northeastern United States to Brazil, with the highest diversity in the Caribbean. A 2018 revision by Agnarsson and colleagues described fifteen new species, many named after celebrities and public figures, making Spintharus notable for having the most species named after celebrities of any spider genus. Molecular evidence indicates that what was historically considered a single widespread species, S. flavidus, actually represents a 30 million year old radiation of at least 16 short-range endemic species in the Caribbean region.
Spintharus flavidus
Spintharus flavidus is a cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae, historically considered a single widespread species ranging from northern North America to Brazil and throughout the Caribbean. Molecular phylogenetic analysis has rejected this hypothesis, revealing instead a 30 million year old radiation of at least 16 distinct species in the Caribbean region alone. Nearly all are short-range endemics with limited overwater dispersal ability. The Caribbean colonization event occurred approximately 30 million years ago, coinciding with the GAARLandia landbridge hypothesis.