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The Colombian Pacific coast is an amazing natural region, immersed in one of the most unknown biodiversity hotspots in the world. An expedition carried out in the north of this area, at the Jardín Botánico del Pacífico (JBP) in Bahía Solano, Chocó, focused on studying the diversity of the mygalomorph spider fauna, allowed us to discover four new species included in the families Halonoproctidae and Theraphosidae. The trapdoor species Ummidia solana sp. nov., and the theraphosids species Euthycaelus cunampia sp. nov. (Schismatothelinae), Melloina pacifica sp. nov. (Glabropelmatinae), and Neischnocolus mecana sp. nov. (Theraphosinae) are illustrated, diagnosed, and described in detail. Photographs of somatic features and copulatory organs and a distribution map are provided. Morphological, taxonomical, and biogeographical aspects are discussed for each species. All these taxonomic novelties represent the first records of these genera for the region, expanding the range of geographic distribution of each of them. This work constitutes the first effort focused on characterizing the community of Mygalomorphae species in the Chocó Biogeographic Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Salticidae, a highly diverse lineage of spiders with 671 genera and 6497 species reported worldwide, are ideal model organisms for ecological, behavioral and evolutionary studies. Euophryini, one of the largest tribes of jumping spiders, lacks information on the features of mitochondrial genomes based on completely annotated data. Here, we sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial genomes of two euophryine species, Corythalia opima (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1885) and Parabathippus shelfordi (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1907). By comparing all available well-characterized mitogenomes of 13 salticid species, the common features and differences in the mitochondrial genomes of jumping spiders were explored. The implications of mitogenomic features for the evolution and taxonomy of jumping spiders were investigated. Salticidae is the most species-rich family of spiders with diverse morphology, ecology and behavior. However, the characteristics of the mitogenomes within this group are poorly understood with relatively few well-characterized complete mitochondrial genomes. In this study, we provide completely annotated mitogenomes for Corythalia opima and Parabathippus shelfordi, which represent the first complete mitogenomes of the tribe Euophryini of Salticidae. The features and characteristics of the mitochondrial genomes are elucidated for Salticidae by thoroughly comparing the known well-characterized mitogenomes. The gene rearrangement between trnL2 and trnN was found in two jumping spider species, Corythalia opima and Heliophanus lineiventris Simon, 1868. Additionally, the rearrangement of nad1 to between trnE and trnF found in Asemonea sichuanensis Song & Chai, 1992 is the first protein-coding gene rearrangement in Salticidae, which may have an important phylogenetic implication for the family. Tandem repeats of various copy numbers and lengths were discovered in three jumping spider species. The codon usage analyses showed that the evolution of codon usage bias in salticid mitogenomes was affected by both selection and mutational pressure, but selection may have played a more important role. The phylogenetic analyses provided insight into the taxonomy of Colopsus longipalpis (Żabka, 1985). The data presented in this study will improve our understanding of the evolution of mitochondrial genomes within Salticidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six species of the family Corinnidae Karsch, 1880 are described from China and Vietnam. Fengzhen gen. nov. is erected to accommodate F. mengla sp. nov. (1) from China; Peng gen. nov. is erected to accommodate P. birmanicus (Thorell, 1897), comb. nov., P. borneensis (Yamasaki, 2017), comb. nov. and P. taprobanicus (Simon, 1897), comb. nov., transferred from Sphecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895. Further new species described include Allomedmassa tamdao sp. nov. (1), Echinax baisha sp. nov. (1), Medmassa lingshui sp. nov. (1), and Spinirta shaoguan sp. nov. (1). The male of P. birmanicus is described for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baiyuerius gen. nov., a new genus of the subfamily Coelotinae F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893 is described, including five new species: B. daxi sp. nov. (1), B. pindong sp. nov. (1), B. tamdao sp. nov. (1), B. zhuping sp. nov. (1) and B. zuojiang sp. nov. (2), from southern China and northern Vietnam. Our molecular phylogenetic analyses support Baiyuerius gen. nov. as monophyletic and as a sister group of the newly established genus Yunguirius Li, Zhao & Li, 2023. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new species of the spider family Araneidae Clerck, 1757 from Vietnam are described: Araneus eugenei sp. nov. (♂♀), A. ethani sp. nov. (♀), A. liami sp. nov. (♂♀), Hypsosinga ryani sp. nov. (♂♀), and H. zioni sp. nov. (♀). Diagnostic photographs of the habitus and copulatory organs are provided. Types of the new species are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS) in Beijing, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four new species of Araneus Clerck, 1757 from southern China are described: A. mayanghe Mi & Wang, sp. nov. (♂♀) from Guizhou, A. shiwandashan Mi & Wang, sp. nov. (♂♀) from Guangxi, and A. zhoui Mi & Wang, sp. nov. (♂♀) from Hainan are assigned to the A. sturmi group, and A. fenzhi Mi & Wang, sp. nov. (♂♀) from Hunan, Guizhou and Jiangxi is not assigned to any species group. A new combination is also proposed: Aoaraneus octumaculalus (Han & Zhu, 2010) comb. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of crab spider are described from the Xiaolong Mountains in Gansu Province, China: Ebelingia spirala sp. nov. (♂♀) and Lysiteles longensis sp. nov. (♂♀). Detailed morphological characters, a distribution map, photographs, and illustrations of the habitus and copulatory organs are given for each species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus of the subfamily Coelotinae F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893, Yunguirius gen. nov. is described, comprising two new species and three species previously described in Draconarius Ovtchinnikov, 1999, all from southwest China: Y. duoge sp. nov. (♀), Y. xiangding sp. nov. (♀), Y. ornatus (Wang, Yin, Peng & Xie, 1990) comb. nov. (♂♀) (the type species of Yunguirius gen. nov.), Y. subterebratus (Zhang, Zhu & Wang, 2017) comb. nov. (♀), and Y. terebratus (Peng & Wang, 1997) comb. nov. (♂♀). Molecular analyses support Yunguirius gen. nov. as a monophyletic group, with the Sinodraconarius clade as its sister group: Yunguirius gen. nov. + (Hengconarius + (Nuconarius + Sinodraconarius)). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of the Clubiona corticalis group in China are described: Clubiona bidactylina sp. nov., C. camela sp. nov., and C. subhuiming sp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behavioral plasticity is of great significance because it allows individuals to flexibly respond to variations in the ecological and social environment. To date, there is little published data on the topic of whether the early rearing experience of spiders influences their later foraging behavior. Pardosa pseudoannulata (Araneae: Lycosidae) is a solitary wolf spider, it is a major predator of pests such as Nilaparvata lugens in rice fields. In this study, we aim to develop a communal rearing protocol for spiders. We conducted a rearing study in the lab that one group of wolf spiders was reared communally and a second group was reared individually. We compared the survival rates and predatory capacity of P. pseudoannulata in both settings. Survival rates were similar overall. At forty‐five days, survival rates were below 40% for both groups. Raising spiders communally led to higher foraging levels. Across all tested time points, spiders reared communally hunted more fruit flies than those reared individually. Significant differences were found between the two rearing groups after hunting for seven and 10 min. Field experiment showed that release of communal‐reared spiders significantly reduced the pest N. lugens population. Our research provides reference for the large‐scale breeding of spiders and their application as biological control agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we provide novel geographic information about five species of spiders belonging to the families Corinnidae, Filistatidae, Gnaphosidae, and Salticidae We record for the first time Attinella dorsata (Banks, 1895) (Salticidae), Filistatinella hermosa Magalhaes & Ramírez, 2017 (Filistatidae), and Micaria jeanae Gertsch, 1942 (Gnaphosidae) in the state of Baja California. Furthermore, Creugas gulosus Thorell, 1878 (Corinnidae), and Micaria pasadena Platnick & Shadab, 1988 (Gnaphosidae) are recorded in Baja California Sur. Both, A. dorsata y F. hermosa were not previously known from Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A formal record of the medically important species Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) and new records of Loxosceles hirsuta Mello-Leitao, 1931 (Araneae: Sicariidae) are provided for La Pampa province, Argentina, comprising its southernmost record. The specimens of L. hirsuta in this work were found inhabiting human structures and were collected in different localities, between long time lapses, which suggests that L. hirsuta much like L. laeta is highly synanthropic and established in La Pampa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Linothele Karsch, 1879 from Colombia is described, Linothele agelenoides sp.n., and its affinities to all known congeners are discussed. Another character distinguishing the recently described Linothele mubii Nicoletta, Ochoa, Chaparro & Ferretti, 2022 from other species of Linothele is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spiders are important models for evolutionary studies of web building, sexual selection and adaptive radiation. The recent development of probes for UCE (ultra‐conserved element)‐based phylogenomic studies has shed light on the phylogeny and evolution of spiders. However, the two available UCE probe sets for spider phylogenomics (Spider and Arachnida probe sets) have relatively low capture efficiency within spiders, and are not optimized for the retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) clade, a hyperdiverse lineage that is key to understanding the evolution and diversification of spiders. In this study, we sequenced 15 genomes of species in the RTA clade, and using eight reference genomes, we developed a new UCE probe set (41 845 probes targeting 3802 loci, labelled as the RTA probe set). The performance of the RTA probes in resolving the phylogeny of the RTA clade was compared with the Spider and Arachnida probes through an in‐silico test on 19 genomes. We also tested the new probe set empirically on 28 spider species of major spider lineages. The results showed that the RTA probes recovered twice and four times as many loci as the other two probe sets, and the phylogeny from the RTA UCEs provided higher support for certain relationships. This newly developed UCE probe set shows higher capture efficiency empirically and is particularly advantageous for phylogenomic and evolutionary studies of RTA clade and jumping spiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web-Building Spiders We start this section on web-building spiders with a very interesting group of araneid spiders that have lost the ability to build full orb webs - the bolas spiders, which, instead of a web construct, they use a single thread as a lasso to catch moths attracted by the pheromones emitted by the spider [[29]]. This, combined with observational data from Southern Spain on web sizes in different seasons, suggests that the tent-web spider could potentially be a successful biological control agent of the tomato leafminer in the tomato planting and growing season assuming that high parasitic wasp infection of spider eggs can be controlled [[26]]. Basic Research on Spider Ecology and Behaviour Spider foraging strategies, and thus, to some extent, most aspects of their ecology and behaviour, can be split into either active roaming spiders that do not build a web (cursorial spiders) or sit-and-wait web-building spiders. Spiders are versatile and ubiquitous generalist predators that can be found in all terrestrial ecosystems except for Antarctica. [Extracted from the article]

Sumampattus Galiano, 1983 comprise three species from South America, the genus is diagnosed by the male palps with an embolus and a cymbial groove with an inclination to the prolateral side, accompanied by a membranous conductor and proximal retrolateral lobe of tegulum distal division, emerging from the dorsal border, moderately turned and twisted. In females, the epigynum has a large posterior atrium, accompanied by a carena septum and absent visible posteriorly-opening coupling pocket. In this work, a new spider species Sumampattus verae sp. n. (male and female) found associated with low vegetation in the Pampa Biome, Southern Brazil, is diagnosed, illustrated and described. Notes on polymorphism in color identified in the new species is herein described. All specimens were collected by D-vac in a grassland habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) is useful for identification and phylogenetic analyses among arthropods, but there are no sufficient mitogenome data for wolf spiders. To enrich the mitogenome database of wolf spiders, the complete mitogenome of Pardosa pusiola was sequenced by high‐throughput sequencing. It is 14,284 bp, comprising 13 protein‐coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a control region (CR). It represents a high bias toward A and T nucleotides with an A + T content of 76.49%. The mitogenome exhibited a negative AT skew (−0.13) and a positive GC skew (0.32). Most PCGs started with ATN codons and ended with TAA, TAG, or an incomplete T. In addition, most tRNAs had aberrant secondary structures with the absence of DHU arm or TΨC arm. Analysis performed with CREx software demonstrated that large‐scale rearrangements of tRNAs were observed in the mitogenome of P. pusiola as compared with the putative ancestral mitogenome. The Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic trees based on the 13 PCGs of 25 spiders had the same topology, which could be presented as (Araneidae + (Agelenidae + (Dictynidae + Desidae)) + (Salticidae + (Thomisidae + (Oxyopidae + (Pisauridae + Lycosidae))))). This study offers a useful genetic resource for the taxonomy and phylogeny of spiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of large burrowing wolf spider, Zyuzicosa andreiisp. n. (♂), is diagnosed, illustrated, and described based on male specimens collected in Uzbekistan. The dissected embolic division of Zyuzicosa is illustrated for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of the Pholcus phungiformes group exhibit high diversity in Liaoning Province of northeastern China. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on this species-group from this area. A checklist of 22 species recorded from this province is given, accompanied with a distribution map of the species. Pholcus xiuyan Zhao, Zheng & Yao, sp. nov. (♂♀) is described as new to science, and P. yuhuangshan Yao & Li, 2021 is reported from Liaoning for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of the primitively segmented spider genus Songthela Ono, 2000 are identified and described from Hunan Province, China, based on morphological characters of males and females: S. anhua Zhang & Xu, sp. nov. (♂♀), S. longhui Zhang & Xu, sp. nov. (♂♀), and S. zhongpo Zhang & Xu, sp. nov. (♂♀). All the new Songthela species belong to the multidentata-group according to male palp and female genital morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type specimens are the core of taxonomical studies, unfortunately, many taxonomists in the 1800s did not officially designate type specimens nor type deposition institutions. Furthermore, oftentimes the original description did not include diagnosis or images. In order to help recognise obscure spider species, diagnosis and images of 73 spider-type specimens from South America, or genera also occurring on the continent are presented. Based on type examination four new synonyms are proposed: Abapeba hirta = Teminius insularis new syn., Araneus riveti = Araneus granadensis new syn., Scytodes vittata = Scytodes fusca new syn., and Pardosa riveti = Pardosa fastosa new syn.; and five new combinations are proposed: Creugas cayanus (Taczanowski, 1874) new comb., Emblyna andesiana (Berland, 1913) new comb., Mangora karschi (Roewer, 1942) new comb., Leucauge aureosignata (Lenz, 1891) new comb. and, Goeldia guayaquilensis (Schmidt 1971) new comb. Finally, three synonyms are rejected: Ulesanis chelys ≠ Ulesanis personata, Tetragnatha riveti ≠ Tetragnatha jaculator, and Meta alticola ≠ Chrysometa zelotypa. LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:399EF4D0-3AC0-4689-B466-C05619DC7D53. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents new taxonomic and faunistic data on the Salticidae from Iran collected by Antoine Senglet (1927–2015) and deposited in the Museum d'historie naturelle, Gèneve, Switzerland. A total of 61 Iranian species are reported. Seven species are descrbed as new: Attulus croceussp. n. (♂♀, Tehran, Mazandaran), Heliophanus kavarsp. n. (♂♀, Fars, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad), Menemerus sengletisp. n. (♂♀, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh & Boyer-Ahmad), Mogrus sivandsp. n. (♂♀, Fars, Kurdistan), Pellenes ignotussp. n. (♂♀, Hamedan), Plexippus scleroepigynalissp. n. (♀, Fars), and Synageles khorasanicussp. n. (♀, Razavi Khorasan). One species and one subspecies are synonymized: Plexippus strandi dushanbinusAndreeva, 1969, syn. n. from Tajikistan and Plexippus gershomi Prószyński, 2017, syn. n. from Israel with Plexippus strandiSpassky, 1939. The male lectotype is designated for Attus vilisKulczyński, 1895, and its synonymy with Attulus ammophilus (Thorell, 1895) is confirmed and reinstated, syn. reinst. Six species are recorded for the Iranian spider fauna for the first time: Attulus inexpectus (Logunov & Kronestedt, 1997), A. inopinabilis (Logunov, 1992), Euophrys pseudogambosaStrand, 1915, Heliophanus kochiiSimon, 1868, H. potaniniSchenkel, 1963, and Synageles venator (Lucas, 1836). Additional faunistic records from Afghanistan are given for three species: Mogrus antoninus Andreeva, 1976, Myrmarachne tristis (Simon, 1882), and Thyene imperialis (Rossi, 1846), of which M. tristis is a new species record for the country. Comparative materials from Kazakhstan were included for five species. It is also shown that the record of Heliophanus verusWesołowska, 1986 from Turkey (Kırıkkale Province) actually belongs to H. mordax O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four species of the genus Ischnothyreus Simon, 1893 from Tibet, China are recognised, including three new species, I. caoqii sp. nov. (female), I. metok sp. nov. (female), and I. pome sp. nov. (male and female). Males of Ischnothyreus linzhiensis Hu, 2001 are discovered for the first time since its description. Descriptions, diagnoses, and photographs of the four species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daddy long-legs spiders are common inhabitants of tropical and subtropical caves around the globe. Numerous species have evolved troglomorphisms, including the loss of body pigments and eyes. Here we describe the first troglomorphic pholcids from Australia and Réunion. Belisana coblynau Huber & Clark, sp. nov. was extracted from mining boreholes in the arid West Australian Pilbara region. It represents a genus that is widespread in tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia, reaching the tropical north and east of Australia. Belisana coblynau is thus presumably a relict whose epigean ancestor lived in the area before the aridification of Australia starting in the early Cenozoic. Buitinga ifrit Huber & Cazanove, sp. nov. was collected in Grotte de La Tortue on Réunion, one of the oldest lava tubes on the island (~300,000 years). Congeneric species are known from East Africa, and the genus does not seem to have reached Madagascar. Since Pholcidae do not balloon, the now extinct epigean ancestor of Buitinga ifrit probably reached the island by highly accidental means (such as rafts or storms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a biodiversity survey in the Pilot Wilderness region of Kosciuszko National Park, where a group of educators joined scientists to assist in collecting plant samples and studying insects and snails. Despite challenging weather conditions, the team persevered and made fascinating discoveries, including a Snowy Mountains humpback slug.

Türkiye is known to have the highest diversity of the spider family Agelenidae in the Western Palaearctic and the highest diversity of the subfamily Ageleninae globally. The new agelenid genus Anatextrix gen. nov. (Ageleninae, Textricini) and its type species, A. spectabilis sp. nov. (♂♀; Mersin and Adana provinces, southern Türkiye), are described. A key to all four genera of Textricini is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteen new species of Karaops are described: K. durrantorum sp. nov. (♂), K. morganoconnelli sp. nov. (♀♂), K. joehaeneri sp. nov. (♀), K. dalmanyi sp. nov. (♀♂), K. garyodwyeri sp. nov. (♂), K. dejongi sp. nov. (♀♂), K. malumbu sp. nov. (♀♂), K. conilurus sp. nov. (♂), K. yumbubaarnji sp. nov. (♀♂), K. markharveyi sp. nov. (♀♂), K. nitmiluk sp. nov. (♀), K. kennerleyorum sp. nov. (♂), K. jawayway sp. nov. (♀), K. mparntwe sp. nov. (♀), K. larapinta sp. nov. (♀), K. kwartatuma sp. nov. (♂), K. madhawundu sp. nov. (♀), and K. mareeba sp. nov. (♀). The male of K. umiida Crews, 2013 was found to be misidentified and is now K. conilurus sp. nov. Karaops yindjibarndi syn. nov. is a new synonym of K. nyiyaparli. Selenops australiensis L. Koch, 1875 is considered a nomen dubium because the holotype is an immature male, and the species previously referred to as K. australiensis (L. Koch, 1875) is here described as K. strayamate sp. nov. (♀♂). The males of K. marrayagong Crews & Harvey, 2011 and K. banyjima Crews, 2013 are described for the first time. To manage the growing diversity of the genus, most of the species have been placed in species groups, which are diagnosed. They are the Central Desert group, the strayamate group, the raveni group, the dawara group, the francesae group, the Kimberley group, and the Pilbara-Gascoyne group. New keys are provided to accommodate the new species, and new distribution maps and new records are provided for all species. Diagnoses and descriptions are emended where required. Images of live spiders, many not previously seen alive, and natural history information are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomy of the Iranian species of the dysderid spider genus Dysdera Latreille, 1804 is revised. Currently, the only species of this genus known from Iran is D. pococki Dunin, 1985, albeit on the basis of a doubtful record. The following 14 species are described as new to science in this paper: D. achaemenes sp. nov. (♀; Fars), D. bakhtiari sp. nov. (♂; Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari), D. damavandica sp. nov. (♂; Mazandaran), D. genoensis sp. nov. (♂♀; Hormozgan), D. hormuzensis sp. nov. (♂; Hormozgan), D. iranica sp. nov. (♂♀; Fars, Hormozgan), D. isfahanica sp. nov. (♂♀; Isfahan), D. mazeruni sp. nov. (♂; Mazandaran), D. medes sp. nov. (♂; Tehran), D. persica sp. nov. (♂♀; Golestan, Mazandaran), D. sagartia sp. nov. (♂♀; Tehran), D. tapuria sp. nov. (♂♀; Mazandaran), D. verkana sp. nov. (♂; Golestan), and D. xerxesi sp. nov. (♂; Bushehr). Distribution records of all species are mapped. Also, the taxonomy of Mistura Petrunkevitch, 1971 and Segistriites Straus, 1967, two fossil genera currently considered in Dysderidae, is discussed and the latter is transferred to Segestriidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This revision is based on sampling efforts over the past three decades in the southern Appalachian Mountains which have provided Nesticus (Araneae, Nesticidae) collections of approximately 2100 adult specimens from more than 475 unique collecting events. Using a "morphology first" framework we examined recently collected specimens plus museum material to formulate morphology-based species hypotheses for putative new taxa (discovery phase). Using sequence capture of nuclear ultraconserved elements (UCEs) we analyzed 801 nuclear loci to validate new (and prior) morphology-based species hypotheses (validation phase) and reconstructed a robust backbone phylogeny including all described and new species. Sanger sequencing and UCE-bycatch were also used to gather mitochondrial data for more than 240 specimens. Based on our integrative taxonomic framework ten new Nesticus species are herein described, including N. binfordae sp. nov., N. bondi sp. nov., N. canei sp. nov., N. cherokeensis sp. nov., N. dellingeri sp. nov., N. dykemanae sp. nov., N. jemisinae sp. nov., N. lowderi sp. nov., N. roanensis sp. nov., and N. templetoni sp. nov. Previously unknown males are also described for N. bishopi Gertsch, 1984, N. crosbyi Gertsch, 1984, and N. silvanus Gertsch, 1984, as well as the previously unknown female for N. mimus Gertsch, 1984. Based on combined evidence N. cooperi Gertsch, 1984 is placed in synonymy with N. reclusus Gertsch, 1984. Overall, the montane radiation of Appalachian Nesticus reveals a general lack of species sympatry and compelling biogeographic patterns. Several regional Nesticus taxa are rare, microendemic habitat specialists that deserve conservation attention and detailed future monitoring as conservation sentinels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liocranid spiders from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in Yunnan, China are studied. Two new species of Oedignatha Thorell, 1881, O. dian Lu & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀) and O. menglun Lu & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀), are described, and the female of Jacaena menglaensis Mu & Zhang, 2020 is described for the first time. The specimens studied are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZCAS) in Beijing, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a diverse group of cursorial predators with its greatest species richness in the tropics. Traditionally, Ctenidae are diagnosed based on the presence of eight eyes arranged in three rows (a 2–4–2 pattern). We present a molecular phylogeny of Ctenidae, including for the first time representatives of all of its subfamilies. The molecular phylogeny was inferred using five nuclear (histone H3, 28S, 18S, Actin and ITS‐2) and four mitochondrial (NADH, COI, 12S and 16S) markers. The final matrix includes 259 terminals, 103 of which belong to Ctenidae and represent 28 of the current 49 described genera. We estimated divergence times by including fossils as calibration points and biogeographic events, and used the phylogenetic hypothesis obtained to reconstruct the evolution of the eye conformation in the retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) clade. Ctenidae and its main lineages originated during the Paleocene–Eocene and have diversified in the tropics since then. However, in some analyses Ctenidae was recovered as polyphyletic as the genus Ancylometes Bertkau, 1880 was placed as sister to Oxyopidae. Except for Acantheinae, in which the type genus Acantheis Thorell, 1891 is placed inside Cteninae, the four recognized subfamilies of Ctenidae are monophyletic in most analyses. The ancestral reconstruction of the ocular conformation in the retrolateral tibial apophysis clade suggests that the ocular pattern of Ctenidae has evolved convergently seven times and that it has originated from ocular conformations of two rows of four eyes (4–4) and the ocular pattern of lycosids (4–2–2). We also synonymize the monotypic genus Parabatinga Polotov & Brescovit, 2009 with Centroctenus Mello‐Leitão, 1929. We discuss some of the putative morphological synapomorphies of the main ctenid lineages within the phylogenetic framework offered by the molecular phylogenetic results of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Kaolin application and bunch-zone leaf removal are two cultural practices that contribute to the control of main pests in vineyards, such as leafhoppers and the European grapevine moth. In the context of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a two-year study on the side effects of these practices on generalist predators was conducted in three vineyards of a grape-growing area in north-eastern Italy. This study provides the first data on the influence of kaolin and bunch-zone leaf removal on spiders and predatory insects occurring in vineyards. It was demonstrated that moderate use of kaolin has a negligible impact on generalist predatory arthropods in vineyards, while no negative effects were associated with bunch-zone leaf removal. Therefore, these practices were compatible with IPM strategies. In vineyards, kaolin application and bunch-zone leaf removal (LR) were effective in the control of leafhoppers and Lobesia botrana, but their side effects on generalist predators are still poorly understood. In north-eastern Italian vineyards, the impact of kaolin and LR on species and functional diversity of spiders, as well as the abundance of spiders and generalist predatory insects, was assessed in one vineyard for two consecutive years and in two vineyards for one year. The ecological indices of the spider community were never influenced by kaolin and only in one case were they influenced by LR. At the spider family level, kaolin reduced the abundance of Araneidae, Oxypidae and Salticidae, but only in single cases. In single cases, kaolin reduced the amount of Orius sp. anthocorids and increased that of Scymninae coccinellids, whereas LR increased the amount of Aeolothrips sp. The moderate use of kaolin and the application of LR had negligible and inconsistent impacts on generalist predatory arthropods in vineyards and were therefore, compatible with IPM strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the complex interplay of factors shaping polymorphic changes within individuals represents a longstanding conundrum in biology. Some crab spiders (Thomisidae) are examples of sit-and-wait predators that can change their body coloration. Many factors may influence crab spider color polymorphism with multiple explanations receiving various levels of support. Here we examined the daytime and nighttime activities and predator and prey interactions for two yellow-white polymorphic crab spiders, Thomisus labefactus and Ebrechtella tricuspidatus in the field. We thereupon conducted a manipulative experiment using dummies with color morphs visibly resembling the spiders when placed on background-matched flowers. We measured the spectra reflected from the dummies and their floral backgrounds and used insect visual models to determine if they are likely to be visible to a range of insects by night and day. We found that both color morphs of each species were more active by night than by day. Our visual models revealed that the spider's bodies were unlikely to be cryptic. Together, these results suggest that the crab spiders might exploit flower colorations during the night but not during the day. They also indicated that explanations of why crab spiders utilize certain color polymorphs are context dependent and will vary with time, and whether predators, prey, or both, are present. Significance statement: Crab spiders are an excellent model for investigating a long-standing challenge in evolutionary biology: understanding the causes and consequences of polymorphic coloration in animals. Studies have postulated a range of explanations with some support for each. Broader studies encompassing all interactions between spiders and their predators and prey across the day and night are urgently needed. Here we combined an around-the-clock spider activity survey with field experiments and insect visual models to show that the types of interactions between spider color morphs and their predators and prey differ over the day and night. Our study suggests that outcomes of experiments examining the adaptive drivers of polymorphisms may be dependent upon the context within which the observations were made, and that examining interactions across temporal contexts is required to fully uncover the various drivers of the polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biota Fapesp (IBSP 138314), Florianópolis, Costão do Santinho, Morro das Aranhas, 1 , 2007, F. Albertoni (IBSP 144188); B São Paulo: b Mogi das Cruzes, PNM Serra do Itapety, 23 29 S, 46 12 W, 23.4833°S, 46.2°W, 1 , 13-19.x.2003, Eq. & Souza, C.A.R. (IBSP 038507), Primavera, Porto Primavera, 1 , 23.ii.2001, Candiani, D. F. & Indicatti, R. P. (IBSP 039339B), Primavera, UHE Sérgio Motta, 1 , i-ii.2000, Equipe BIOTA (IBSP 029650), 5 , 15 , 1J, i-ii.2000, Equipe BIOTA (IBSP 029738A), 6 , 17 , i-ii.2000, Equipe BIOTA (IBSP 029860A), 6 , 13 , i-ii.2000, Equipe BIOTA (IBSP 029873A), 1 , i-ii.2000, Equipe BIOTA (IBSP 029881A), 4 , 4 , i-ii/2000, Equipe IBSP (IBSP 029897), Rosana, UHE Rosana, 2 , 2 , 3J, xii.1986, Equipe IBSP (IBSP 004463), São Paulo, 1 , 1 , [no date], Cunha, F.S. [Extracted from the article]

Multiscale simulations have been established as a powerful tool to calculate and predict excitation energies in complex systems such as photoreceptor proteins. In these simulations the chromophore is typically treated using quantum mechanical (QM) methods while the protein and surrounding environment are described by a classical molecular mechanics (MM) force field. The electrostatic interactions between these regions are often treated using electrostatic embedding where the point charges in the MM region polarize the QM region. A more sophisticated treatment accounts also for the polarization of the MM region. In this work, the effect of such a polarizable embedding on excitation energies was benchmarked and compared to electrostatic embedding. This was done for two different proteins, the lipid membrane-embedded jumping spider rhodopsin and the soluble cyanobacteriochrome Slr1393g3. It was found that the polarizable embedding scheme produces absorption maxima closer to experimental values. The polarizable embedding scheme was also benchmarked against expanded QM regions and found to be in qualitative agreement. Treating individual residues as polarizable recovered between 50% and 71% of the QM improvement in the excitation energies, depending on the system. A detailed analysis of each amino acid residue in the chromophore binding pocket revealed that aromatic residues result in the largest change in excitation energy compared to the electrostatic embedding. Furthermore, the computational efficiency of polarizable embedding allowed it to go beyond the binding pocket and describe a larger portion of the environment, further improving the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on Sardinian cave spiders started with Angela Gozo's 1908 description of the female of Lepthyphantes sardous. Because Gozo's original specimens appear to be lost, we visited Gozo's type location (Su Marmuri cave, Ogliastra, Sardinia) in an effort to find the as yet unknown male and to collect topotypic specimens on which a new diagnosis and a possible revision of the taxonomic position of the species could be based. Both efforts were successful and the results are given below. Our finding of the unknown male now allows the placement of this species within the genus Tenuiphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1996. Specimens of Tenuiphantes sardous (Gozo, 1908) n. comb. have been collected on the cave ground, among rocks in areas mostly covered with guano. In lack of proper troglomorphic traits we regard the species as troglophile. As far as the distribution is concerned, the species is currently known exclusively for the type locality. However, the troglophile habit and the general lack of arachnological prospections in Sardinian caves suggests a wider distribution on the island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of brush-footed spiders of the genus Tigidia are described: T. jalgaonensis sp. nov. (♀, northern Maharashtra), T. tangerina sp. nov. (♀, eastern Karnataka), and T. fasciata sp. nov. (♀, southern Kerala). The present descriptions constitute the first record of the genus outside the Western Ghats, indicating its wider distribution in peninsular India. The discovery of the new species raises doubts about the validity of the genus Tigidia as the newly discovered species fills a large gap in the allopatric distribution of the genus Tigidia and Diplothele and further shows that most of the diagnostic characters overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hitherto unknown male of the ctenid spider species Bowie indicus (Gravely, 1931) is described and illustrated in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus of mygalomorph spider Ekapa gen. nov., is described from South Africa. The new genus was formed to include the species Hermacha curvipes Purcell, 1902 and Hermacha nigra Tucker, 1917. These species are synonymized based on their somatic similarities, such as fovea shape, cheliceral teeth distribution, ocular pattern, presence of preening combs, and their close geographic distribution. The new genus proposed is distinguished by the presence of a projection in the retroventral side of the palpal tibia in males, together with a distinctive copulatory bulb shape; and in females by the shape of their spermathecae, with a high base and apical stalks that open into oval apical receptacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batesian mimicry imposes several challenges to mimics and evokes adaptations in multiple sensory modalities. Myrmecomorphy, morphological and behavioral resemblance to ants, is seen in over 2000 arthropod species. Ant-like resemblance is observed in at least 13 spider families despite spiders having a distinct body plan compared to ants. Quantifying the extent to which spiders' shape, size, and behavior resemble model ants will allow us to comprehend the evolutionary pressures that have facilitated myrmecomorphy. Myrmaplata plataleoides are thought to closely resemble weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina. In this study, we quantify the speed of movement of model, mimic, and non-mimetic jumping spiders. We use traditional and geometric morphometrics to quantify traits such as foreleg size and hindleg size, body shape between the model ant, mimic, and non-mimics. Our results suggest that while the mimics closely resemble the model ants in speed of movement, they occupy an intermediate morphological space compared to the model ants and non-mimics. Ant-mimicking spiders are better at mimicking ants' locomotory movement than morphology and overall body shape. Some traits may compensate others, suggesting differential selection on these mimetic traits. Our study provides a framework to understand the multimodal nature of mimicry and helps discern the relative contributions of such traits that drive mimetic accuracy in ant-mimicking spiders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We hereby report an isolated population of a rare morpho-variant of the ant-mimicking jumping spider Myrmaplata plataleoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) from Hazaribagh Wildlife Sanctuary, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India, which is also the first record of this species from the state of Jharkhand, India. Descriptions of both male and female spiders, the female's exuviae, its eggs and habitat are presented. We have studied its moulting, feeding and sexual behaviour in detail, and have recorded various behavioural aspects that were never documented before, such as debris-rolling behaviour, photokinetic response, starvation response and oxygen deprivation response. We here report the occurrence of this spider near the colonies of the ground-nesting ant Camponotus compressus (Fabricius, 1787). This spider is known to mimic the Asian weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabricius, 1775), which are greenish orange to red in colour. Specimens collected by us are dark brown to black in coloration whereas the commonly reported specimens are often greenish orange to red. We propose that the darker coloration would have been naturally selected in this isolated population of M. plataleoides as an adaptation to coexist with C. compressus , which is also black in coloration and abundant around the spiders. Study of the moulting behaviour of the morpho-variant further reveals the display of a novel mechanism of ant mimicry among these spiders which we have named as temporal myrmecomorphy. Temporal myrmecomorphy has been proposed to be a protective mechanism used by a harmless mimic against the attacks of the aggressive models so that it can co-exist with the models. Present study establishes the usefulness of a morpho-variant as an important model in understanding the evolution and behaviour of a species holistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is the country with the most diverse tarantula (Theraphosidae) fauna, having 215 described species. Vitalius Lucas, Silva Júnior & Bertani, 1993 is one of the most diverse and common genera in Southern, Southeastern and Central-West regions of Brazil with ten described species. Individuals of Vitalius species are large and widespread in areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. A single species is known to occur in areas of Cerrado vegetation. Herein, two new species are described from areas of restinga, coastal areas typically with low vegetation and sandy soil, in the coast of the states of Rio de Janeiro (Vitalius restinga sp. nov.), Bahia and Sergipe (Vitalius sapiranga sp. nov.). Males and females of these two new species have a much longer than wide sternum. Males have a short apical keel in the male palpal bulb. The two species can be distinguished by embolus width, slender in V. restinga sp. nov. and thicker in V. sapiranga sp. nov. Females can be distinguished by the spermathecae shape, slender in V. restinga sp. nov. and broader in V. sapiranga sp. nov. These are the first known theraphosids endemic to Brazilian Atlantic Coast restingas. Biological data indicate V. sapiranga sp. nov. and maybe V. restinga sp. nov. commonly use bromeliads as retreats. It is herein hypothesized they are sister species occupying similar habitats in Brazilian coast, but separated by ca. 1,000 kilometers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iheringia. Série Zoologia is the property of Fundacao Zoobotanica do Rio Grande do Sul and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad is the property of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The ability of nervous systems to filter out irrelevant and repetitive stimuli may prevent animals from becoming 'saturated' with excess information. However, animals must be particular about which stimuli to attend to and which to ignore, as mistakes may be costly. Using a comparative approach, we explored the effect of interstimulus interval (ISI) between repeated presentations of visual stimuli presented on a screen to test the decrease in responses (response decrement) of both Trite planiceps jumping spiders and untrained Columba livia pigeons, animals with comparable visual ability despite having structurally different visual systems and brain size. We used ISIs of 2.5 s, 5 s, 10 s, predicting that decreases in ISI would lead to progressively less responses to the stimuli. Following from previous work on T. planiceps , we also manipulated pigeon hunger level, finding that hungry birds were initially more responsive than sated pigeons, but the rate of decrease in responses to the stimulus did not differ between the two groups. While a clear response decrement was seen in both species across all conditions, shorter ISIs resulted in more dramatic response decrements, aligning with previous work and with the resource depletion theory posited in the human-based literature. • Short interstimulus intervals lead to faster and more sustained drops in attention. • Hunger increases initial propensity of pigeons to attend to visual stimuli. • Interindividual variation in attentional capacity of birds and spiders is high. • Innate responses of pigeons to visual stimuli are easily measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously overlooked material of Nemesia rastellata Wunderlich, 2011, collected at the type locality and present in the collection of the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main, is here described. This description provides important new information for taxonomical recognition of the species and the first observations on intraspecific variations in size and shape in N. rastellata. Additionally, aspects of male morphology in Nemesia trapdoor spiders are discussed from a functional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CymbiapophysaGabriel & Sherwood, 2020 is a theraphosine genus endemic to South America, diagnosable on genital organ morphology in both sexes, and the presence of a distal-retrolateral apophysis on the male cymbium. Examination of historical material in the Natural History Museum, London, recently revealed a new species from Carondelet, Ecuador, with distinct palpal bulb and tibial apophysis morphology, described herein as Cymbiapophysa seldenisp. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven new species of Araneus Clerck, 1757 from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China are described: Araneus arcuatus sp. nov. (♂♀), A. bidentatus sp. nov. (♂♀), A. bidentatoides sp. nov. (♂♀), A. complanatus sp. nov. (♂♀), A. corrugis sp. nov. (♀), A. cucullatus sp. nov. (♀), A. minisculus sp. nov. (♂), A. ovoideus sp. nov. (♀), A. pseudodigitatus sp. nov. (♂♀), A. semiorbiculatus sp. nov. (♀), and A. tetracanthus sp. nov. (♂♀). Diagnostic photographs of the habitus and copulatory organs are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]