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

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  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

Photo Identification Guide of the Atypidae (Araneae) of South Africa

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Photo Identification Guide of the Atypidae (Araneae) of South Africa

Description

The family Atypidae is known from five genera and 90 species (World Spider Catalog 2020). Only one genus, Calommata Lucas, 1837, represented by 13 species, are known from Africa and two of them from South Africa. They are very rare spiders and both of them are restricted endemics. Calommata meridionalis Fourie, Haddad & Jocqué, 2011 is listed as Near Threatened under the B criterion and Calommata transvaalica Hewitt, 1916 Vulnerable under the B criterion. CONTENTS

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