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

Latrodectus spp. toxins outside venom glands: past, present and future

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Latrodectus spp. toxins outside venom glands: past, present and future

ABSTRACT

Latrodectus spp. are one of the highly poisonous spiders known in the world. Interestingly, the spiders not only produce and secrete toxins by their venom glands, but also have toxic components in other parts of the adult spiders, and even in the newborn spiderlings and unhatched eggs. The venom and venom toxins secreted by their venom glands have been quite extensively studied and, comparatively, the study on the toxins outside venom glands is limited. Although the toxins outside venom glands were discovered at a very early time, it is not until recently that the molecular basis and mechanism of the toxicity outside venom glands have been relatively systematically investigated, which have significantly expanded our understanding of the spider toxins. This review summarizes the progresses in the research on the Latrodectus spp. particularly black widow spider toxins outside venom glands, with an emphasis on the toxins from the spider eggs.
Wang, X. (2025). Latrodectus spp. Toxins outside venom glands: Past, present and future. Toxicon, 108437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2025.108437