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

First observation of predation on Crossodactylus caramaschii Bastos & Pombal, 1995 (Anura: Hylodidae) by a fishing spider (Araneae: Trechaleidae) in a neotropical cave

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First observation of predation on Crossodactylus caramaschii Bastos & Pombal, 1995 (Anura: Hylodidae) by a fishing spider (Araneae: Trechaleidae) in a neotropical cave

Cave environments are characterized by a scarcity of available organic material, little or no primary production, and low or absent natural light (Culver and Pipan, 2019). Additionally, they have high environmental stability with temperatures close to the annual external average, humidity tending to saturation, and simplified trophic networks (Barr, 1968). However, ecological interactions and predation networks in neotropical caves are still understudied (Souza-Silva and Ferreira, 2014; Resende and Bichuette; 2016, Bernardi et al., 2020). Frogs are among the food items of top predator invertebrates (Toledo, 2005; Barbo et al., 2009; Sanches et al., 2018). In caves, spiders are among the top predators (Bernardi et al., 2020) and represent a group of significant diversity compared to other subterranean animal groups (Trajano and Bichuette, 2010; Cizauskas, 2017). However, there are gaps in our understanding of behavioural and ecological interactions in cave habitats.

Herpetology Notes, volume 17: 355-357 (2024) (published online on 29 May 2024)