Morphological and Molecular Data Reveal Two New Cryptic Spider Species of the Pholcus yichengicus Species Group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Central China

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  Morphological and Molecular Data Reveal Two New Cryptic Spider Species of the Pholcus yichengicus Species Group (Araneae, Pholcidae) from Central China  Abstract Two new cryptic species from central China, belonging to the Pholcus yichengicus species group, were identified using an integrative approach combining morphological and three molecular species delimitation methods, and incorporating data from five related previously described species. These two new species are named Pholcus chengkou sp. nov. and P. yanan sp. nov. DNA barcodes were generated for the two new species to calculate p-distances and K2P distances, thus confirming their identities alongside the five previously described species. Additionally, revised diagnoses for the five previously described species and a distribution map encompassing all the species discussed are provided. Yan, Mei-Chen, and Zhi-Yuan Yao. 2026. "Morphological and Molecular Data Reveal Two New Cryptic Spider Species of the Pholcus y...

First Record of Leucauge rubromaculata Benjamin, 2024 (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) from India

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First Record of Leucauge rubromaculata Benjamin, 2024 (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) from India

Abstract

The orb-weaving spider, Leucauge rubromaculata Benjamin, 2024, of the family Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866, is newly recorded from India. The species was recently described by Benjamin based on both sexes which were collected from the forest of Sri Lanka. In this study, we record Leucauge rubromaculata for the first time from India and it is also the first record of the species from the Western Ghats and the second report in the world. A detailed morphological description and images of both sexes are provided. We also examined type materials of L. dorsotuberculata Tikader, 1982, which is an endemic species to India and provided type material images.

Anju, K.B., Sen, S., Sudhin, P.P. et al. First Record of Leucauge rubromaculata Benjamin, 2024 (Araneae, Tetragnathidae) from India. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-025-01645-y