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

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  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...

Taxonomic notes on the genus Yunohamella Yoshida, 2007 (Araneae, Theridiidae) from China, with two new species

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Taxonomic notes on the genus Yunohamella Yoshida, 2007 (Araneae, Theridiidae) from China, with two new species

Abstract

Four Yunohamella species are reported from Hubei Province, China, including two new species: Y. gutenbergi R. Zhong, J. Liu & Hu, sp. nov. (♂) and Y. mohorovicici R. Zhong, J. Liu & Hu, sp. nov. (♂). Yunohamella jiugongensis (Liu & Zhong, 2023), comb. nov. is transferred from the genus Cryptachaea Archer, 1946, and Y. lyrica (Walckenaer, 1841) is newly recorded from Hubei Province and is considered as a senior synonym of Platnickina mneon (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906).

Zhong R, Zhong Y, Zhang H, Liu J, Liu C, Chen K, Hu C (2025) Taxonomic notes on the genus Yunohamella Yoshida, 2007 (Araneae, Theridiidae) from China, with two new species. ZooKeys 1224: 69-85. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1224.138987