Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

Posted by
  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

Hombre del renacimiento: the contributions of Luis F. de Armas to arachnology, herpetology, entomology, carcinology, and myriapodology

Posted by

 


Hombre del renacimiento: the contributions of Luis F. de Armas to arachnology, herpetology, entomology, carcinology, and myriapodology

Editorial

Luis F. de Armas is a world-renowned arachnologist, but also an experienced herpetologist, entomologist, carcinologist, and myriapodologist (e.g., Fig. 2). One may wonder how a colleague can be an indefatigable polymath during the era of academic ‘specialisation’ The answer to this can be found by asking any researcher who knows and works with Luis. His encyclopaedic knowledge of the natural world has been an ever-present force in his life and has been coupled with his admirable work ethic and, above all, his love of collaborating with other people. Through his knowledge and collaborative spirit, he has achieved what many of us have not, a career surpassing now half a century which has produced a consistent flow of more than 500 publications (Pérez-González et al. 2025). The number continues to rise, as Luis remains active in research into his eighth decade. We can only hope this rings true for many years to come.

Contributions to arachnology Luis F. de Armas (b. 1945) is one of Latin America’s most esteemed arachnologists. Best known is his work on the scorpions of Latin America, especially those of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. However, particularly on, but not restricted to, Cuba and the Dominican Republic he has advanced many publications on amblypygids, schizomids, solifugids, thelyphonids, and ricenulids. It is unsurprising given arachnids are Luis’ expertise that within these groups he was focused not only on taxonomy but also ecology, teratology, conservation, zoogeography, and several other fields.


Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Hombre del renacimiento: the contributions of Luis F. de Armas to arachnology, herpetology, entomology, carcinology, and myriapodology. Zootaxa. 5563. 42-59. 10.11646/zootaxa.5563.1.5.