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 of Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871: proposal of the theraphosoides species-group and first published record of the genus from Colombia (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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A new species of Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871: proposal of the theraphosoides species-group and first published record of the genus from Colombia (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

Abstract
A remarkable new species of Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871, is described from Colombia, Acanthoscurria armasi sp. nov., representing the first published record of the genus from this country. New insights into palpal bulb morphology and biogeography of the newly-proposed theraphosoides species-group are provided. 

Sherwood, Danniella & Gabriel, Ray & Peñaherrera-R, Pedro & García, Giraldo. (2025). A new species of Acanthoscurria Ausserer, 1871: proposal of the theraphosoides species-group and first published record of the genus from Colombia (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Zootaxa. 5563. 237-254. 10.11646/zootaxa.5563.1.16.