The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae)

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  The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae) Abstract The neonicotinoid imidacloprid can cause lethal and sublethal effects in non-target organisms, including impaired behavior, reduced fertility, disrupted locomotion, and reduced predatory performance in arthropods. Spiders are among the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, yet the effects of neonicotinoids on the predatory function of jumping spiders remain poorly understood. The functional response of a predator describes how predation rates change with prey density and is key to understanding predator–prey dynamics. We tested whether acute exposure to a commercial formulation of imidacloprid at field-recommended concentrations alters the functional response of the Aussie bronze jumping spider, Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880). We compared the predation of treat...

Leiurus fezzanensis sp. n. from Fezzan Province, Libya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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Leiurus fezzanensis sp. n. from Fezzan Province, Libya (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

ABSTRACT

Leiurus fezzanensis sp. n. is described from the Fezzan Province, Libya. Detailed illustrations and a map showing the distributions of all Leiurus species in Africa are given. Leiurus fezzanensis differs from granulations of carapace, trichobothrial pattern on fixed finger, granulation of fifth segment of metasoma and pectinal tooth count. Since L. libycus Birula, 1908 was recently excluded from the scorpion fauna of Libya,L. fezzanensis is currently the only Leiurus species known from the country.

Yağmur, E. A., Aboshaala, F., & Kovařík, F. (2025). Leiurus fezzanensis sp. n. from Fezzan Province, Libya (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Journal of Natural History, 59(29–32), 2035–2049. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2025.2519293