New Publication: Hybridisation in the Tarantula Hobby

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  New Publication: Hybridisation in the Tarantula Hobby I am pleased to share the publication of my latest paper, “Hybridisation in the Tarantula Hobby: Ethical Boundaries and Biological Consequences,” in the Journal of the British Tarantula Society , Volume 41, No. 1, September 2026. The paper addresses an issue that deserves serious consideration within the tarantula community: hybridisation and its potential long-term effects on the integrity of captive lineages. More Than a Breeding Decision The tarantula hobby has changed considerably over the past several decades. What was once a relatively small community has grown into an international network of keepers, breeders, vendors, researchers, and societies. Captive breeding has contributed enormously to that growth, improving husbandry knowledge and increasing the availability of captive-bred animals. With that success comes responsibility for the lineages we maintain. Hybridisation may seem like an isolated breeding experiment,...

A survey of the genus Orchestina Simon, 1882 (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Xishuangbanna, China, with descriptions of five new species

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A survey of the genus Orchestina Simon, 1882 (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Xishuangbanna, China, with descriptions of five new species

Abstract

Five new species and three known species of the genus Orchestina Simon, 1882 are recorded from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province: O. clavulata Tong & Li, 2011 (♂), O. colubrina Liu, Henrard & Xu, 2019 (♂♀), O. concava Tong & Li, sp. nov. (♂), O. menglun Tong & Li, sp. nov. (♂), O. subclavulata Tong & Li, sp. nov. (♂), O. truncatula Tong & Li, 2011 (♂♀), O. wengnan Tong & Li, sp. nov. (♂) and O. xui Tong & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀). The males of O. colubrina Liu, Henrard & Xu, 2019 is described for the first time. An identification key to species of the genus Orchestina from Xishuangbanna is provided.

Song C, Tong Y, Bian D, Li S (2024) A survey of the genus Orchestina Simon, 1882 (Araneae, Oonopidae) from Xishuangbanna, China, with descriptions of five new species. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(1): 255-277. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.117968