A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction

  Photo Credit: © Antonino Rametta . All photographs are used with permission. No part of these images may be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without the prior written permission of the photographer. A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction One of the most rewarding aspects of maintaining Arácnido Taxonomy is hearing from naturalists and photographers around the world who take the time to share their discoveries. Every so often, an email arrives that immediately captures your attention. Not because it claims to rewrite what we know about biodiversity, but because it documents something that very few people have the opportunity to witness. Recently, I was contacted by a naturalist in Sicily who shared a series of exceptionally high-quality photographs of a female ladybird spider ( Eresus ) during what appeared to be an interaction with a spider wasp. Along with the images came a simple question: "Could this be scientifically import...

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

 


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.


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