The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae)

  The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae) Abstract The neonicotinoid imidacloprid can cause lethal and sublethal effects in non-target organisms, including impaired behavior, reduced fertility, disrupted locomotion, and reduced predatory performance in arthropods. Spiders are among the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, yet the effects of neonicotinoids on the predatory function of jumping spiders remain poorly understood. The functional response of a predator describes how predation rates change with prey density and is key to understanding predator–prey dynamics. We tested whether acute exposure to a commercial formulation of imidacloprid at field-recommended concentrations alters the functional response of the Aussie bronze jumping spider, Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880). We compared the predation of treat...

A new species of Linothele Karsch 1879 from Panama (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae)

 


A new species of Linothele Karsch 1879 from Panama (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae)

Abstract 


A new species of Dipluridae Simon 1889, Linothele darien n. sp., is described from Panama. This is the first Linothele Karsch 1879 species described for the continental part of Central America and the second outside South America. Linothele darien n. sp. is compared to L. megatheloides Paz & Raven 1990 and L. sericata (Karsch 1879), two similar species from Colombia. Also, a discussion about the specimens from Panama studied and identified as L. megatheloides by N. Paz is included.

Wermelinger-Moreira, G., Castanheira, P. de S. & Baptista, R. L. C. (2024b). A new species of Linothele Karsch 1879 from Panama (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae). Acta Arachnologica 73(2): 95-101. doi:10.2476/asjaa.73.95 18173