New Publication: Hybridisation in the Tarantula Hobby

Posted by
  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,...

New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily

Posted by

 


New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily

ABSTRACT


In this paper we present faunistic data on Arachnid collected, with sampling on sight during 2019 and 2020, in Enna (Sicily, Italy. The arachnofauna of this area of the Island is poorly studied, to date only 16 species of spiders are reported for this municipality. 180 taxa of spiders are known in total now, 15 of this (1 first report in Italy) and 6 genera are new for Sicily, in particular Pritha nana (Simon, 1868) (Filistatidae), Micaria coarctata (Lucas, 1846), Micaria dives (Lucas, 1846), Poecilochroa loricata Kritscher, 1996 (Gnaphosidae) (new for Italy), Agroeca sp., Scotina celans (Blackwall, 1841) (Liocranidae), Bolyphantes luteolus (Blackwall, 1833), Centromerus arcanus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873), Lepthyphantes minutus (Blackwall, 1833), Linyphia mimonti Simon, 1885, Megalepthyphantes collinus (L. Koch, 1872), Walckenaeria corniculans (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875), Walckenaeria monoceros (Wider, 1834) (Linyphiidae), Synageles venator (Lucas, 1836) (Salticidae) and Enoplognatha afrodite Hippa et Oksala, 1983 (Theridiidae) and 3 species of opilions. Additional biological and taxonomic notes on these spiders are also provided.


Antonino Dentici & Franco Ciro Amata

New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2024.15.2.363.375