The distribution, spatial clustering, and density of trapdoor spiders in two California coastal dune ecosystems

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  The distribution, spatial clustering, and density of trapdoor spiders in two California coastal dune ecosystems Abstract Coastal dune ecosystems support endemic trapdoor spiders, yet population data for these species are limited. We conducted the first coastal dune trapdoor spider population estimation surveys at Moss Landing State Beach (California) and for Aptostichus stephencolberti Bond 2008 at Sunset State Beach using randomly selected 1m 2 quadrats across ~26,000 m 2 per site. Burrow densities were similar between sites (Sunset: 0.287 burrows/m 2 ; Moss: 0.453 burrows/m 2 ), yielding estimated population sizes of ~35,206 and ~30,959 individuals, respectively. However, spatial analyses revealed contrasting patterns of burrow distribution. At Sunset State Beach, burrow presence was strongly associated with vegetation and occurred closer to plants, despite vegetation being randomly distributed. In contrast, no vegetation–burrow association was detected at Moss Landing, alth...

New synonymy in Thalerommata Ausserer, 1875 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae)

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New synonymy in Thalerommata Ausserer, 1875 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae)

Abstract

A morphological study of the type material of two Colombian theraphosid species in the genus Thalerommata Ausserer, 1875, deposited in the European spider collections of the Natural History Museum, London, and Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, enables us to establish a new synonym: T. macella (Simon, 1903) is designated as a junior synonym of T. gracilis Ausserer, 1875.

Gonzalez-Filho Hector Manuel Osorio, da Silva Costa Pedro Henrique Dias, Guadanucci José Paulo Leite "New synonymy in Thalerommata Ausserer, 1875 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae)," The Journal of Arachnology, 52(3), 229-233, (22 January 2025) https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-23-013