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

On two wolf spiders from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve of Chongqing, China (Araneae, Lycosidae)

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On two wolf spiders from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve of Chongqing, China (Araneae, Lycosidae)

Abstract

Two spiders of the wolf spider family Lycosidae from high altitude area (>1900 m) of Yintiaoling Nature Reserve are presented here, including a new species, Trochosa alpina sp. nov. (male, female) and a poorly known species, Alopecosa pseudocuneata (Schenkel, 1953). The new species is similar to the Holarctic congener, T. ruricola (De Geer, 1778) and Alopecosa pseudocuneata is quite similar to the Palaearctic species, Alopecosa cuneata (Clerck, 1757). Description / redescription, diagnoses, photos and illustrations of these two species are given. Photos of A. cuneata are provided for comparison purposes.

Zhang, X.-Y. and Zhang, Z.-S. (2025) “On two wolf spiders from Yintiaoling Nature Reserve of Chongqing, China (Araneae, Lycosidae)”, Zootaxa. Auckland, New Zealand, 5652(1), pp. 95–102. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5652.1.11.