First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

Posted by
  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

Living with the enemy? Predation on the frog Tachiramantis tayrona by a Theraphosidae spider

Posted by

 


Living with the enemy? Predation on the frog Tachiramantis tayrona by a Theraphosidae spider

Given that predation is a biotic interaction that can shape the behaviour of potential prey (Ruxton et al., 2018), it is important to know who is eating who in nature. Invertebrates have often been recorded to predate on amphibian anurans, with spiders being one of the most important predators of terrestrial frogs (Menin et al., 2005; Toledo, 2005; Nyffeler and Altig, 2020). In this short note, we report on a predation event of a mygalomorph spider upon the frog Tachiramantis tayrona (Lynch and Ruiz-Carranza, 1985), an endemic species to Colombia that is currently categorised as “Near Threatened” (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, 2017).

Herpetology Notes, volume 16: 593-595 (2023) (published online on 08 August 2023)