A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala

Posted by
  A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala Abstract  A new species of the spider genus Euagrus Ausserer, 1875 from temperate pine-oak forests in the states of Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, Mexico is described: E. pulque sp. nov. The description of the new species is based on male and female adult specimens. Additionally, Euagrus gus Coyle, 1988 is recorded for the very first time in the state of Tlaxcala. These species have sympatric distributions in La Malinche National Park, Tlaxcala. With this description, the diversity of the genus increases to 23 species, with Mexico harboring the highest diversity with 17 described species.  Valdez-Mondragón, A., Salinas-Velasco, H. V. & Bueno-Villegas, J. (2026). A new species of the mygalomorph spider genus Euagrus Ausserer (Araneae: Euagridae) from central Mexico and new records of E. gus Coyle from Tlaxcala. Zootaxa 5810 (...

Behavioral ecology of the Colorado brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi): Activities displayed around the burrow through juvenile group dispersal

Posted by

 


Behavioral ecology of the Colorado brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi): Activities displayed around the burrow through juvenile group dispersal  (Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertation)


Abstract


The life history strategy of the Colorado brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi) typically includes males spatially scattering in search for a female mate in the fall, followed by female attendance of fertilized eggs the following summer. Here, I highlighted aspects associated with this female parental care. Specifically, I compared the activities of maternal (egg-attending) tarantulas to their non-maternal (not egg-attending) counterparts, as this may be a costly time for these egg-attending individuals. I concluded that maternal individuals tended to show reduced activity at the burrow entrance, however; these, results were significant in only one comparison. After weeks of this parental care, juveniles will emerge from their silk egg casing before they disperse from the natal site. In the additional study reported in Chapter 5, I describe the first days post-emergence and, ultimately, the group dispersal processes of juveniles. This work provides foundational knowledge towards these particularly understudied aspects of tarantula biology.


Allendorfer, Bradley, "Behavioral ecology of the Colorado brown tarantula (Aphonopelma hentzi): Activities displayed around the burrow through juvenile group dispersal" (2024). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1261.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1261