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

A new species and new records of Chumma (Araneae, Macrobunidae) from South Africa

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A new species and new records of Chumma (Araneae, Macrobunidae) from South Africa

Abstract

A new species of the genus Chumma Jocqué, 2001, C. foordi sp. nov., is described from the Western Cape, South Africa. New distribution records for C. bicolor Jocqué & Alderweireldt, 2018, C. foliata Jocqué & Alderweireldt, 2018 and C. gastroperforata Jocqué, 2001 are presented. The genus is recorded from the Northern Cape Province for the first time, extending its range extensively to the northwest by approximately 450 km. The distribution of all Chumma species is mapped.

Marusik YuM, Haddad CR (2024) A new species and new records of Chumma (Araneae, Macrobunidae) from South Africa. African Invertebrates 65(2): 329-338. https://doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.65.138735