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,...

Population genetic structure and demographic history of the East Asian wolf spider Pardosa astrigera

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Population genetic structure and demographic history of the East Asian wolf spider Pardosa astrigera

Abstract

The wolf spider Pardosa astrigera L. Koch, 1878, an important biological control agent for pests in agriculture, is widely distributed in various ecosystems across East Asia. This study used mitochondrial DNA and aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of population genetic structure and evolutionary history throughout the species. Mitochondrial gene sequences from 107 samples of P. astrigera from 25 East Asian populations were used for genetic analyses. Our data revealed an asymmetric phylogeographic distribution in two sympatric lineages (1–2) of P. astrigera in continental East Asia. The spatio-temporal pattern of two mitotypes of P. astrigera in this region gives strong support for a Northeast Asian origin during the late Pleistocene (~1.69 million years ago) and the population expansion time of ~74,340 (58,832–104,236) years ago (during the last glacial period) and dual colonization around East Asia from two directions: from North to South and from East to West. Our phylogeographic results suggested that Pleistocene climate oscillations with subsequent fragmentation events and secondary contacts were the major impact factors of the diversification, geographic distribution, and expansion patterns of P. astrigera, and human activities and ballooning probably accelerated its recent dispersal.


Fu D, Liu L, Cheng Y, Chen H, Luo Y (2024) Population genetic structure and demographic history of the East Asian wolf spider Pardosa astrigera. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 791-802. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.125246