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...

Further additions to the rare dark sac spider genus Messapus Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Corinnidae)

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Further additions to the rare dark sac spider genus Messapus Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Corinnidae)

Abstract

In this paper, a new species of the spider genus Messapus Simon, 1897 is described, M. mygaloides sp. nov. (♀ ♂, Mozambique and Tanzania). We also provide the first description of the male of M. tigris Haddad & Mbo, 2015 based on a specimen collected from the type locality and record the species from Zimbabwe for the first time too. The type species, M. martini Simon, 1897, is recorded from Eswatini for the first time. An updated identification key to the genus is also presented.


Haddad, C. R. & Grismado, C. J. (2025). Further additions to the rare dark sac spider genus Messapus Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Corinnidae). Zootaxa 5637(2): 351-362. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5637.2.8