Data from: Phylogenomic reclassification of the world’s most venomous spiders (Mygalomorphae, Atracinae), with implications for venom evolution

Here we show that the most venomous spiders in the world are phylogenetically misplaced. Australian atracine spiders (family Hexathelidae), including the notorious Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus, produce venom peptides that can kill people. Intriguingly, eastern Australian mouse spiders (family Actinopodidae) are also medically dangerous, possessing venom peptides strikingly similar to Atrax hexatoxins. Based on the standing morphology-based classification, mouse spiders are hypothesized distant relatives of atracines, having diverged over 200 million years ago. Using sequence-capture phylogenomics, we instead show convincingly that atracines are sister to actinopodids, and that hexathelids are non-monophyletic. Three new mygalomorph lineages are elevated to the family level, and a revised circumscription of the family Hexathelidae is presented. Re-writing this phylogenetic story has major implications for how we study venom evolution in these spiders, and potentially genuine consequences for antivenom development and bite treatment research. More generally, our research provides a textbook example of the applied importance of modern phylogenomic research.

本研究证实，全球毒性最强的蜘蛛类群在系统发育学上的分类位置存在误置。隶属于六疣蛛科（Hexathelidae）的澳大利亚穴居蜘蛛类群（atracine类群），包括臭名昭著的悉尼漏斗网蜘蛛*Atrax robustus*，其分泌的毒液肽可致人死亡。值得注意的是，分布于澳大利亚东部的鼠蛛（螲蟷科Actinopodidae）同样具有医学危险性，其毒液肽与六疣蛛属的六疣毒素（hexatoxins）极为相似。根据现行的基于形态学的分类体系，鼠蛛被认为是六疣蛛类群的远缘亲属，二者的分化时间可追溯至2亿多年前。本研究通过序列捕获系统发育基因组学分析，确凿证实六疣蛛类群与螲蟷科类群互为姊妹群，且六疣蛛科并非单系群。本研究将3个新的原蛛下目（Mygalomorphae）演化支提升至科级分类单元，并重新界定了六疣蛛科的分类范围。这一系统发育关系的改写，对该类群蜘蛛的毒液演化研究具有重要意义，同时也可能对抗蛛毒研发以及蜘蛛咬伤治疗研究产生切实影响。更广泛而言，本研究为现代系统发育基因组学研究的应用价值提供了教科书级别的范例。