In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García

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  In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García -  Photo © Facebook/National Museum of Natural History of Cuba In Memoriam: Giraldo Alayón García The arachnological community mourns the loss of Giraldo Alayón García, a Cuban zoologist whose work helped bring the spiders of Cuba and the wider Caribbean into clearer scientific view. As a researcher and curator at Cuba’s National Museum of Natural History, Dr. Alayón devoted decades to studying arachnids. His publications on spider taxonomy, evolution, and biogeography gave other researchers a stronger foundation for understanding the region’s biodiversity. He also shared that knowledge through teaching and scientific exchange far beyond Cuba. For those of us who care about taxonomy, his legacy is a reminder of the patient work behind every species description: examining specimens, recording differences, and preserving knowledge that others can build upon. His contributions will continue to guide the study of Caribbean spiders for years to ...

Revision of the South American Ninetinae genus Guaranita (Araneae, Pholcidae)

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Revision of the South American Ninetinae genus Guaranita (Araneae, Pholcidae)

Abstract


The southern South American genus Guaranita includes tiny spiders (body length ~1 mm) that lead reclusive lives under ground-objects and run rapidly when disturbed.  As a  result,  they have been poorly collected and studied.  Here we report on a  recent collection of  Guaranita spiders from  Argentina, describing one new species (G. auadae Huber sp. nov.) and the previously unknown female of G. dobby Torres et al., 2016. In addition, we provide CO1 barcodes for all (now five) known species, first SEM data, and first chromosome data for the genus. The diploid number of GuaranitagoloboffiHuber, 2000 (2n♂ = 11) is among the lowest in araneomorph spiders with monocentric chromosome structure.


Huber, B. A., Meng, G., Král, J., Ávila Herrera, I. M., & Izquierdo, M. A. (2023). Revision of the South American Ninetinae genus Guaranita (Araneae, Pholcidae). European Journal of Taxonomy, 900(1), 32–80. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2023.900.2301