First phylogeny of peacock using molecular data

On 3 February 2021 the first ever phylogeny of peacock spiders using molecular data has been published by Girard et al in Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. While this study only includes about half of all known peacock spider species it is a substantial contribution to the understanding of their relationships. In part the results are consistent with existing groupings that have been proposed based on morphology. However, there are significant surprises which will stimulate discussion and most likely prompt further work.