Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq

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  Distributional Notes on Three Wolf Spider Species (Araneae: Lycosidae) Recorded for the First Time in Diyala Province, Iraq Abstract This study presents new distributional data for three wolf spider species (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Diyala Province in eastern Iraq. Specimens were gathered from different districts and habitats between July 2025 and June 2026. The species Arctosa tbilisiensis Mcheidze, 1946, Lycosa piochardi Simon, 1876, and Wadicosa fidelis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) are recorded for the first time in Diyala, extending their known ranges within Iraq. The paper describes key diagnostic morphological features and includes information about the examined specimens and their local distributions. These findings improve knowledge of the distribution of Iraqi Lycosidae and reveal that Diyala Province, despite its habitat variety, remains insufficiently studied. The records serve as a valuable baseline for future taxonomic, faunistic, and ecological research on spiders i...

The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation

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The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation



Abstract

Aim

Many animal groups diversify at the same place where they have originated, whereas others diversify at a place completely different from the centre of origin. Identification of the centre of origin, subsequent colonisation and diversification is crucial for understanding lineages' macroevolutionary dynamics and biogeographical patterns. The historical biogeography of the Mygalomorph spider family Theraphosidae has been confounded by two conflicting hypotheses – a South American origin for the group, which is also the centre of its greatest extant diversity, as against an African origin. We aim to ascertain the centre of origin and directionality of inter-continental dispersal events in tarantulas by reconstructing their biogeographic history.


Biswas, A., Chaitanya, R., & Karanth, K. P. (2023). The tangled biogeographic history of tarantulas: An African centre of origin rules out the centrifugal model of speciation. Journal of Biogeography, 50, 1341–1351. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14678