A further new species for the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from a poorly prospected region of Brazilian Amazonia

Posted by
  A further new species for the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from a poorly prospected region of Brazilian Amazonia Abstract  A new species of the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 is described from the region which today defines the ‘Reserva Biológica do Río Trombetas’ in the state of Pará, Brazil. The collection of the unique specimen, presently study, took place previously to the definition of this reserve, in a joint field trip with a team of the Instituto Brasileiro de Desenvolvimento Florestal (IBDF). Ananteris antoni sp. n. is described based on one female specimen collected in a zone of dense humid forest, under death log. With this new description, the number of Ananteris species known for the scorpion fauna of Brazil is now raised to 33. Lourenço W. R., 2026. – A further new species for the genus Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from a poorly prospected region of Brazilian Amazonia. Faunitaxys, 14(63): 1 – 5.  https://doi.o...

A revision of the genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 (Araneae: Trachelidae) in the continental Afrotropical Region

Posted by

 


A revision of the genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 (Araneae: Trachelidae) in the continental Afrotropical Region

Abstract

The polyphyletic spider genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872, with the type species T. minor O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872 from Europe (also known in North Africa and Central Asia), has a worldwide distribution in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions, although Trachelas sensu stricto is restricted to the Old World. Here the continental Afrotropical species are revised and a description of Trachelas sensu stricto is provided. Trachelas canariensis Wunderlich, 1987, T. chubbi Lessert, 1921, T. pusillus Lessert, 1923 and T. sylvae Caporiacco, 1949 are redescribed, and the female of T. pusillus described for the first time. Seven new species are described: T. falsus sp. nov. (♂ ♀, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania), T. humus sp. nov. (♂ ♀, Namibia and South Africa), T. leggi sp. nov. (♂ ♀, South Africa), T. longinquus sp. nov. (♂, Central African Republic), T. russellsmithi sp. nov. (♀, Ethiopia), T. scutatus sp. nov. (♂ ♀, Ghana and Nigeria) and T. smithi sp. nov. (♀, Kenya). The female of Trachelas scopulifer Simon, 1896 is redescribed, its male is described for the first time, and its transfer to Thysanina Simon, 1910 proposed. The immature female type of T. punctatus Simon, 1886 from Senegal is presumed lost and this species is considered a nomen dubium. A key to the continental species of Afrotropical Trachelas is provided. A molecular phylogeny based on the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) indicates that the New World species of the genus belong to a distinct lineage and are only distantly related to Trachelas sensu stricto.

Haddad, C. R. & Lyle, R. (2025). A revision of the genus Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 (Araneae: Trachelidae) in the continental Afrotropical Region. Zootaxa 5673(4): 451-493. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5673.4.1