A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae)
A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae)
Abstract
Exotic species can be introduced accidentally through human
activity to regions where they do not occur naturally. Fruit and
produce shipments offer a means by which trapped specimens
can accidentally travel long distances bringing, for example,
tropical species deep into temperate regions. Documenting,
identifying, and tracking these introductions can help evaluate
the potential threats these species could pose for local biodiversity and, in rare cases, human health. We report a new exotic
species in the Netherlands from a specimen captured more than
60 years ago from a fruit shipment. The species, Acanthoctenus
alux (Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021), was described
recently in a revision of the genus Acanthoctenus, and is only
known from female specimens. Here, we provide documentation of the specimen including the external genitalia, and
somatic characters like eyes, spinnerets, calamistrum, and the
cribellum.
Rivera-Quiroz, F. A., Helsdingen, P. J. van & Miller, J. A. (2025). A blast from the past: Acanthoctenus alux Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021, an exotic spider in The Netherlands, imported many decades ago (Araneae: Ctenidae). Arachnology 20(2): 313-315.