Homotypic assortative mating is consistent across temporal scales in the spider Mecynogea lemniscata (Araneidae)

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Homotypic assortative mating is consistent across temporal scales in the spider Mecynogea lemniscata (Araneidae) Abstract Identifying patterns of size-assortative mating (SAM) indicates the direction of genetic changes in a population. A reliable method for estimating it in a population is to measure mate assortments within and between breeding seasons¸ as well as describing size variation of males and females between temporal scales to avoid Simpson’s paradox. We assessed sexual size dimorphism, the effects of ontogeny, size differences within each sex, the consistency of SAM within and between seasons, and male mate choice in the spider  Mecynogea lemniscata . We collected mating pairs in a  Eucalyptus  plantation across two breeding seasons and in four periods of the second season. We measured body mass and carapace width of spiders. Males matured earlier than females and guarded subadult partners. Although adults were larger and heavier than subadults, ontogeny did no...

Trapdoor spiders of the family Nemesiidae Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from Kosovo

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Trapdoor spiders of the family Nemesiidae Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from Kosovo

Abstract
The Balkans is a recognized biodiversity hotspot. Yet, for many parts of this region, knowledge about the diversity of many taxa is limited. This is particularly true for the spiders of Kosovo, for which increased efforts to elucidate the actual diversity have been started only recently. Here, based on traditional morphological analyses and DNA barcoding data, we present the first records of Nemesiidae Simon, 1889 from Kosovo, including the descriptions of Brachythele kosovarica Geci & Sherwood sp. nov. and Nemesia dukagjinica Geci & Sherwood sp. nov.

I’d like to sincerely thank Danniella Sherwood for kindly sharing this manuscript with me through ResearchGate.

Geci, Donard & Ibrahimi, Halil & Bilalli, Astrit & Musliu, Milaim & Koblmüller, Stephan & Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Trapdoor spiders of the family Nemesiidae Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from Kosovo. Arachnology. 20. 281-286.