First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

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  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

A new species of the spider genus Mallinella Strand, 1906 from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, China (Araneae: Zodariidae)

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A new species of the spider genus Mallinella Strand, 1906 from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, China (Araneae: Zodariidae)

Abstract

A new species belonging to the Mallinella annulipes-group of the genus Mallinella Strand, 1906, Mallinella yintiaoling sp. nov. (male, female), is described from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, China. Its morphological description and photographs are provided.

Lu, J.-Z., Irfan, M. & Zhang, Z.-S. (2025) A new species of the spider genus Mallinella Strand, 1906 from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve, China (Araneae: Zodariidae). Zootaxa, 5652 (1), 73–77. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5652.1.8