First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

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  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

Three new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve of Hubei, China

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Three new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve of Hubei, China

Abstract

The Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve is situated in the southwestern region of Hubei Province, adjacent to the northeastern edge of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. A survey of spiders of this reserve was conducted recently, leading to the discovery of three new species of the genus Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000: P. arcuata Zhang, J. Liu & Hu, sp. nov. (♀), P. qizimeishanensis Zhang, J. Liu & Hu, sp. nov. (♂, ♀) and P. weimiani Zhang, J. Liu & Hu, sp. nov. (♂, ♀). Diagnoses, descriptions, photos, and a distribution map are provided.

Chang J, Zhang H, Liu J, Zhu Y, Liu C, Chen K, Hu C (2024) Three new species of Pseudopoda Jäger, 2000 (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Qizimeishan National Nature Reserve of Hubei, China. ZooKeys 1214: 143-160. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1214.130101