Examining ecological niche for six species of whip spider in Colombia

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  Examining ecological niche for six species of whip spider in Colombia  Abstract The conditioning variables for the establishment of Amblypygi populations and their ecological interactions are currently poorly studied. Delving deeper into this can help to conserve this group of short-range distribution species, which are useful as a model in biogeographic research. In this study, we evaluated the distribution and overlapping patterns of ecological niche in six species of amblypygids ( Phrynus araya , P. panche , P. pulchripes , Heterophrynus batesii , H. boterorum , H. cervinus ) in the Andean and Amazonian ecosystems of Colombia, revealing a clear biogeographic segregation driven by environmental gradients: Phrynus species were associated with inter-Andean valleys with high thermal and water seasonality.  While the Heterophrynus occupied more stable and humid conditions of foothills and middle elevations. Overlap analyses showed significant divergence (e.g., D=0.105 b...

Revising Spider Egg-predating Fly Records (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): New Insights on Prey, Taxonomy, and Distribution of Sarcophaga (Mehria) lorosa Hall in Southern South America

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Revising Spider Egg-predating Fly Records (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): New Insights on Prey, Taxonomy, and Distribution of Sarcophaga (Mehria) lorosa Hall in Southern South America

Abstract

Flesh flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) exhibit a wide range of feeding habits including necrophagy, coprophagy, kleptoparasitism, parasitism, and predation. Among them are species of Sarcophaga Meigen belonging to the subgenera Baranovisca Lopes and Mehria Enderlein that are specialized predators of spider eggs. These flies hover around spider webs and lay their larvae on the spider egg sac. While progress has been made on the taxonomy of Baranovisca and Mehria in recent decades, our knowledge about their biology, prey selection, and distribution remains limited, restricting our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics of Sarcophagidae-Araneae interactions. Here, we describe and illustrate the first record of S. (M.) lorosa Hall preying on egg sacs of Metepeira galatheae (Thorell) (Araneae: Araneidae) in Chile. The taxonomy of S. (M.) lorosa is revised, with two new junior synonyms proposed: Weyrauchimyia ruficauda Lopes and Tibana, syn. nov., and Arachnidomyia travassosi Tibana and Mello, syn. nov. Furthermore, we present an annotated catalog that comprehensively reviews the existing records of spider egg-predating Sarcophagidae, and provide an overview of the evolution of Sarcophagidae-Araneae interactions. Our catalog includes information on at least four species of Baranovisca and 10 species of Mehria that have been documented as preying on eggs from species of various spider families, such as Araneidae, Cheiracanthiidae, Clubionidae, Philodromidae, Salticidae, and Tetragnathidae. These records cover all biogeographical regions except the Afrotropical. Our results enhance our understanding of the evolution of Sarcophagidae-Araneae interactions.


Gudin FM, de Pádua DG, Mulieri PR, Cortés-Rivas B, Moreira-Muñoz A, de Oliveira Araujo R. 2024. Revising spider egg-predating fly records (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): New insights on prey, taxonomy, and distribution of Sarcophaga (Mehria) lorosa Hall in southern South America. Zool Stud 63:07. doi:10.6620/ZS.2024.63-07.