Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from southern Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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  Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from southern Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Abstract A new scorpion species, Cicileus derradji sp. nov., is described from Tin Zaouatine District, In Guezzam Province, southern Algeria. The description is based on an adult male holotype, an adult female paratype and a juvenile specimen, and is supported by detailed morphological analyses, including colouration, morphometrics, carination patterns and trichobothrial arrangement. This discovery extends the known distribution of the genus Cicileus approximately 500 km southwestward within Algeria. With the addition of this species, the number of recognised species in the genus increases to six. The new species is compared with all previously known species of Cicileus , and detailed colour photographs, including images taken under ultraviolet illumination, are provided. Derradj, L., Aydın Yağmur, E., Benali, N., & Bikada, M. (2026). Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from south...

Description and genome sequencing of Olios ishikawatodaorum n. sp. (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae) from Aichi, Japan

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Description and genome sequencing of Olios ishikawatodaorum n. sp. (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae) from Aichi, Japan

Abstract 

A new species of Olios, O. ishikawatodaorum n. sp. (♀♂) is described from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with its annotated genome sequence. The assembled genome spans 3.7Gbp with contig N50 length of 413.4kbp. BUSCO 5 analysis indicates high completeness of the genome (93.8% complete + 3.5% partial = 97.3%), and 22,984 genes have been predicted using RNA-Seq data as evidence. The genome sheds light on neglected RTA clade spider genomics, and reveals a number of expanded gene families in this species. Fulllength or near-full-length spidroin sequences obtained from the genome showed the conservation of MaSp2 which is typically lost in the RTA clade, but whose presence may explain the unusually high supercontraction and strain at break in Sparassidae spiders.

Arakawa, Kazuharu & Kato, Nobuo & Tanikawa, Akio. (2025). Description and genome sequencing of Olios ishikawatodaorum n. sp. (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae) from Aichi, Japan. Acta Arachnologica. 74. 1-8.