Thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale: novel insights and comparative analysis with a sympatric species

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  Thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale: novel insights and comparative analysis with a sympatric species Abstract Understanding thermal responses in ectotherms is key to assessing vulnerability to climate change. Tarantulas (Theraphosidae) are informative models due to their sedentary lifestyle, long life cycles, and reliance on specific microhabitats. We present the first integrative assessment of the thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale , a widespread Argentine species, combining experimentally derived thermal limits and thermal preferences with species distribution models, and compare its thermal profile with the sympatric Grammostola vachoni to explore patterns of thermal niche differentiation. Plesiopelma longisternale showed a minimum thermal limit near 4 °C, a maximum near 44 °C, a thermal optimum of 29.5 °C, a narrow thermal performance breadth, and a preferred temperature of approximately 32 °C. Models integrating climatic and thermal parameters predicted...

First Records of Spiders in the Genus Micrathena (Araneae: Araneidae) from The Bahamas

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First Records of Spiders in the Genus Micrathena (Araneae: Araneidae) from The Bahamas

Abstract


Spiders are an important but poorly understood group of arachnids in West Indian ecosystems. This is especially true for The Bahamas. In 2016 and in 2023, while visiting old growth forests on the islands of Andros and Great Abaco, I found two species of spiny orbweavers in the genus Micrathena. Although the presence of the genus is reported on the islands of the Greater Antilles, this represents the first record of Micrathena in The Bahamas, and adds to the spider diversity of the country.

Scott Johnson "First Records of Spiders in the Genus Micrathena (Araneae: Araneidae) from The Bahamas," Caribbean Journal of Science, 54(1), 107-108, (15 May 2024)