Khantao gen. nov., a new genus of Selenocosmiinae Simon, 1889 from western Yunnan of China (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae)

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  Khantao gen. nov., a new genus of Selenocosmiinae Simon, 1889 from western Yunnan of China (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) Abstract The new genus Khantao gen. nov. from western Yunnan, China, is established for the subfamily Selenocosmiinae Simon, 1889, including three new species and one new combination: Khantao talpoides sp. nov. (type species); Khantao xuanae sp. nov.; Khantao ya sp. nov.; and Khantao xinhuaensis (Zhu & Zhang, 2008) comb. nov. (transferred from Selenocosmia Ausserer, 1871). DNA data (Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, COI sequences) are provided for all species. Yu, K., Wirth, V.V., West, R.C., Zhang, S. & Zhang, F. (2026) Khantao gen. nov., a new genus of Selenocosmiinae Simon, 1889 from western Yunnan of China (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae). Zootaxa, 5853 (2), 151–188. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5853.2.1

Invertebrates of AlUla: Scorpions, Spiders, Dragonflies and Butterflies (Field Guide)

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Dear Arachnologist Friends,

It’s my pleasure to share that a field guide I co-authored—“Invertebrates of AlUla: Scorpions, Spiders, Dragonflies and Butterflies” (part of the Fauna of AlUla Field Guide Series)—has been made freely available in PDF format by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU).

The guide is available in both English and Arabic, with the aim of reaching a broad audience.
You’ll also find many other publications and field guides from different disciplines available at the same link.

While some taxonomic updates are already underway—particularly for the scorpions—this guide currently represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource for this historically important, yet previously understudied, region of the Arabian Peninsula.

The beautiful illustrations throughout the series were created by the talented Davina Falcão, who brought all the featured animals to life with her art. If interested, I leave here her website to appreciate her art! https://davinafalcaoart.com.

We warmly welcome any feedback or suggestions—and if you're interested in collaborating, there's still a lot of potential to build on this work. For that you can reach me at the email address yurisimone1@gmail.com.

A huge collective hug and see you in Croatia!

A close-up of a signature AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Yuri Simone

https://www.rcu.gov.sa/en/open-data-library