New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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  New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae) Abstract Tarantulas (Theraphosidae) exhibit a wide diversity of reproductive behaviors, yet many aspects of their natural history, particularly those related to maternal care and juvenile dispersal, remain poorly known. Pterinopelma roseum is a species distributed in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina for which information on reproductive biology is limited. The aim of this study was to document maternal care, egg sac composition, and juvenile dispersal through the monitoring of a female collected together with its egg sac in Misiones Province, Argentina. The female was maintained under controlled laboratory conditions and observed daily until juvenile dispersal. During the incubation period, the female actively protected the egg sac, remaining in contact with it most of the time and displaying defensive behaviors when disturbed, while continuing to feed regularly. The e...

Description of four new Steatoda species (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the Mediterranean region with notes on some related species

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Description of four new Steatoda species (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the Mediterranean region with notes on some related species

Abstract

Four new Steatoda species from the Mediterranean region are diagnosed, described and illustrated: S.
koeni sp. nov. (♂♀, Morocco), S. ingeae sp. nov. (♂♀, Morocco), S. dickjonesi sp. nov. (♂♀, France)
and S. verae sp. nov. (♂♀, Spain). The holotype of S. triangulosa concolor (Caporiacco, 1933) was
examined and found to be a subadult specimen, the subspecies is elevated to species level and S.
concolor stat. nov. is described from both sexes (♂♀, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria), and the female of S.
trianguloides is redescribed. Three new synonyms are proposed: S. moerens (Thorell, 1875) is found
to be a junior synonym of S. latifasciata (Simon, 1873) new syn.; S. incomposita (Denis, 1957) is found
to be a junior synonym of Steatoda albocincta (Lucas, 1846) new syn.; S. albomaculata infuscata
(Schenkel, 1925) is synonymized with S. albomaculata (De Geer, 1778) new syn.; S. venator (Audouin,
1826) is considered a nomen dubium. All Euro-Mediterranean Steatoda species except S. xerophila
Levy & Amitai 1982 are illustrated and a key to the species is provided.

VAN KEER, J., BOSSELAERS, J., OGER, P. (2024). Description of four new Steatoda species (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the Mediterranean region with notes on some related species. Journal of the Belgian Arachnological Society 39(2) supplement: 1-77.