The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae)

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  The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae) Abstract The neonicotinoid imidacloprid can cause lethal and sublethal effects in non-target organisms, including impaired behavior, reduced fertility, disrupted locomotion, and reduced predatory performance in arthropods. Spiders are among the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, yet the effects of neonicotinoids on the predatory function of jumping spiders remain poorly understood. The functional response of a predator describes how predation rates change with prey density and is key to understanding predator–prey dynamics. We tested whether acute exposure to a commercial formulation of imidacloprid at field-recommended concentrations alters the functional response of the Aussie bronze jumping spider, Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880). We compared the predation of treat...

A new genus of Oecobiinae (Araneae: Oecobiidae) from Iran and Central Asia

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A new genus of Oecobiinae (Araneae: Oecobiidae) from Iran and Central Asia


ABSTRACT

A new genus, Turanobius gen. n. (Araneae: Oecobiidae: Oecobiinae), is described from Iran and Central Asia, comprising the following four species: T. ferdowsii (Mirshamsi, Zamani and Marusik, 2017) comb. n. (♂; Iran, Kazakhstan), T. hissaricus sp. n. (♂; Tajikistan), T. leptonychus sp. n. (♂♀; Tajikistan), and T. tadzhikus (Andreeva and Tyshchenko, 1969) comb. n. (♂♀; Tajikistan); both new combinations are ex. Oecobius Lucas, 1846. Known distribution records of all four species are mapped. Additionally, a discussion is presented on the taxonomy of Oecobius and the potential revalidation of several genera currently considered synonymous with it.

Zamani, A., Marusik, Y. M., & Fomichev, A. A. (2024). A new genus of Oecobiinae (Araneae: Oecobiidae) from Iran and Central Asia. Journal of Natural History, 58(21–24), 737–749. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2024.2357852