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The polysphinctine wasp Zatypota anomala (Holmgren, 1860), a koinobiont ecto-parasitoid of spiders in the family Dictynidae, was recorded in Italy for the first time. Populations of both the wasp and its host, Dictyna pusilla Thorell, 1856, its host preference and the interaction between the parasitoid and the spider were documented in the field and by laboratory observations.

A polysphinctine wasp Polysphincta longa, associated with the orb web building spider Araneus angulatus, was recorded for the first time in Slovakia. Further, the congener Polysphincta tuberosa was recorded in association with a new spider host Araneus sturmi. New distribution records of Polysphincta species from the Czech and Slovak Republics are presented. The final stage larva of both, P. longa and P. tuberosa, induced a specific alteration in web architecture: the spider constructed a unique 3D tangle of silk – so called “cocoon web” – to protect the parasitoid during the pupal stage. The host range of wasps belonging to the genus Polysphincta in Europe is discussed.

The polysphinctine wasp Megaetaira madida (Haliday, 1838) is a koinobiont ecto-parasitoid of spiders of the genus Metellina. Under the influence of the parasitoid’s final instar larva, the spider host M. merianae (Scopoli, 1763) built a three-dimensional web architecture, which differed considerably from the capturing orb web. The alteration of spider web behaviour induced by a parasitoid larva in this host-parasitoid pair is described for the first time.

The pantropical theridiid spider Coleosoma floridanum Banks, 1900 was recorded for the first time in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic. Both sexes and juveniles were collected in some numbers in heated greenhouses with high humidity. A description and photographs of the species is provided.

Spiders were collected at the massif 'Panský diel' near the city of Banská Bystrica (Central Slovakia). We recorded 252 spider species for the territory and one new species for Slovakia. Although the summit reaches an altitude of 1.100 m a.s.l., more or less thermophilous species apparently prevail here, especially at lower moderate sites. On the other hand, only several typical oreophilous species were documented. Many recorded species are scarce or even very rare. This indicates the very high value of this territory from both a genetic and an environmental perspective.

A schizomid, Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (family Hubbardiidae), was collected in a greenhouse in Brno. This is the first discovery of a schizomid from the Czech Republic.

The oonopid spiders (Oonopidae), Tapinesthis inermis (Simon, 1882) and Triaeris stenaspis Simon, 1891, are recorded for the Czech Republic for the first time. T. inermis was redetermined from misidentified material and T. stenaspis was discovered in a greenhouse.

The spatial distribution of parasitoids is closely linked to the distribution and ecological requirements of their hosts. Several studies have documented changes in the fauna composition of parasitoids in response to elevation, but data on parasitoids associated with spiders are missing. The koinobiont ichneumonid wasp Zatypota anomala is strictly specialised on spiders of the genus Dictyna (Dictynidae) in Europe. We examined the distribution of spiders of the family Dictynidae in forest ecotones in central Europe across a broad elevation gradient (110-1466 m a.s.l.). We checked the spiders for parasitism by Z. anomala. It was most abundant at the mid-elevations (median 712 m a.s.l., range 179-870 m a.s.l.). We identified four dictynid spider species as Z. anomala hosts. These were Dictyna arundinacea, Dictyna uncinata, Nigma flavescens, and Nigma walckenaeri. All four species and the genus Nigma were recorded as hosts for the first time. The parasitoids strongly preferred juvenile instars of their hosts. The body length differed between parasitised Dictyna and Nigma spiders (medians: 1.95 mm and 2.55 mm, respectively). The distribution of Dictyna and Nigma spiders overlapped along the elevation gradient, but parasitism incidence significantly differed between spider genera along the elevation gradient. Nigma was parasitized at lower elevations between 179-254 m a.s.l. and Dictyna at higher elevations between 361-870 m a.s.l. The phenology of Z. anomala is closely tied to the univoltine life strategy of its host spiders. The parasitoid female oviposits in autumn, and its offspring overwinter as larvae on the host, reach adulthood during spring, and pass the summer as an adult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taxon sampling is a central aspect of phylogenetic study design, but it has received limited attention in the context of total-evidence dating, a widely used dating approach that directly integrates molecular and morphological information from extant and fossil taxa. We here assess the impact of commonly employed outgroup sampling schemes and missing morphological data in extant taxa on age estimates in a total-evidence dating analysis under the uniform tree prior. Our study group is Pimpliformes, a highly diverse, rapidly radiating group of parasitoid wasps of the family Ichneumonidae. We analyze a data set comprising 201 extant and 79 fossil taxa, including the oldest fossils of the family from the Early Cretaceous and the first unequivocal representatives of extant subfamilies from the mid-Paleogene. Based on newly compiled molecular data from ten nuclear genes and a morphological matrix that includes 222 characters, we show that age estimates become both older and less precise with the inclusion of more distant and more poorly sampled outgroups. These outgroups not only lack morphological and temporal information but also sit on long terminal branches and considerably increase the evolutionary rate heterogeneity. In addition, we discover an artifact that might be detrimental for total-evidence dating: "bare-branch attraction," namely high attachment probabilities of certain fossils to terminal branches for which morphological data are missing. Using computer simulations, we confirm the generality of this phenomenon and show that a large phylogenetic distance to any of the extant taxa, rather than just older age, increases the risk of a fossil being misplaced due to bare-branch attraction. After restricting outgroup sampling and adding morphological data for the previously attracting, bare branches, we recover a Jurassic origin for Pimpliformes and Ichneumonidae. This first age estimate for the group not only suggests an older origin than previously thought but also that diversification of the crown group happened well before the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Our case study demonstrates that in order to obtain robust age estimates, total-evidence dating studies need to be based on a thorough and balanced sampling of both extant and fossil taxa, with the aim of minimizing evolutionary rate heterogeneity and missing morphological information. [Bare-branch attraction; ichneumonids; fossils; morphological matrix; phylogeny; RoguePlots.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The list of ephialtine wasps (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) of Italy associated with spider hosts is presented here. Our comprehensive list includes twenty-seven species belonging to eleven genera compared to seventeen species and nine genera included in the previous checklist of the Italian fauna. Species can be separated into two ecological groups in accordance with the host type the first group includes pseudo-parasitoids attacking spider egg sacs; the second one includes koinobiont ectoparasitoids attacking adult spiders. The host association of wasps occurring in Italy was summarised from published and unpublished data. Zatypota discolor (Holmgren, 1860) is new for Italy. Zaglyptus varipes (Gravenhorst, 1829) and Schizopya podagrica Gravenhorst, 1829 are recorded for the first time in South Italy and in Sardinia, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitoid wasps of the Polysphincta genus‐group are highly specialised on their spider hosts, and most of them are known to manipulate their hosts into building a special web in which the parasitoid pupates. Trophic niche and the plasticity of host use were investigated in the koinobiont parasitoid Zatypota kauros Gauld from Queensland, Australia.We found that Z. kauros attacks spider hosts from different families, each differing widely in their web‐building behaviours, which makes it unique in the breadth of its host range. Molecular analyses revealed that the taxon Z. kauros contains three divergent mitochondrial lineages. Lineage A was associated exclusively with spiders of the genus Anelosimus (Theridiidae), which builds tangle webs; lineage B was associated with the genus Cyrtophora (Araneidae), which weaves tent webs; and lineage C was associated with a broad range of hosts, including spiders of both the families Araneidae and Theridiidae. Unique host manipulations could be observed in the web‐building behaviours of the different host groups. Nevertheless, nuclear data from two ribosomal genes and three introns did not add any support to the existence of different evolutionary lineages, nor did they coincide with the different host groups.The partial correspondence of mitochondrial lineage and host use, together with an apparent mito‐nuclear conflict might indicate maternal effects or very recent and/or incomplete speciation in this taxon. Given their wide host range and intriguing interactions with their hosts, the Z. kauros complex represents a promising system for studying parasitoid specialisation and its potential impact on speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polysphinctine wasp Polysphincta longa, associated with the orb web building spider Araneus angulatus, was recorded for the first time in Slovakia. Its congener Polysphincta tuberosa was recorded in association with a new spider host Araneus sturmi. New records of Polysphincta species from the Czech and Slovak Republics are presented. The final stage larvae of both, P. longa and P. tuberosa, induce a specific alteration in web architecture: the spider constructed a unique 3D tangle of silk-so called "cocoon web"- to protect the parasitoid during the pupal stage. The host range of wasps belonging to the genus Polysphincta in Europe is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]