A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species

  A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species Abstract The ability to adhere to surfaces is particularly relevant for cursorial predatory arthropods like hunting spiders, which often traverse relatively complex environments characterized by large variation in substrate properties. Here, we evaluated the adhesive performance of six hunting spider species that are common in eastern temperate North America and lack specialized tarsi for climbing smooth or inclined surfaces [Lycosidae: Pardosa lapidicina Emerton, 1885 and Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer, 1837); Oxyopidae: Oxyopes salticus Hentz, 1845; Pisauridae: Pisaurina mira (Walckenaer, 1837); Dolomedidae: Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837), and Dolomedes scriptus Hentz, 1845]. We tested adhesion performance as shear load resistance (g) on a glass plate, and as the angle of failure (°) when the plate was gradually inclined relative to horizontal. Average angle of failure and shear resistance differed among ...

Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy

 


Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy

Abstract

Karst research in Korea is still in its infancy and the invertebrate fauna of subterranean systems across the country is poorly known. One of the very diverse lineages in caves across Korea, the pseudoscorpions, are almost undocumented although they represent stunning examples of cave adaptations and troglomorphism. In this study, we provide a phylogenetic hypothesis for the pseudoscorpion Spelaeochthonius Morikawa, 1954 (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) in South Korea; a genus that exclusively occurs in caves across China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula. We report seven species of which four are newly described and illustrated based on molecular, distributional and morphological data: Spelaeochthonius dugigulensis sp. nov.S. geumgulensis sp. nov.S. magwihalmigulensis sp. nov. and S. yamigulensis sp. nov. All species are strongly cave-adapted and known from a single cave or karst system only, emphasizing the need to implement conservation strategies for Korean karst systems and their fauna.

Jeong K, Harms D, Yoo J-s, Kim S (2025) Four new species of dragon pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Pseudotyrannochthoniidae: Spelaeochthonius) from caves in South Korea revealed by integrative taxonomy. PLoS One 20(7): e0325375. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0325375