A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders

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  A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders Abstract A new species of wolf spider, Zoica veloxilla sp. nov., from Sumatra (Indonesia) is described based on both sexes. Lysania pygmaea Thorell, 1890 is recorded from Sumatra for the first time, and its male is illustrated and redescribed. A distribution map for Zoica and Lysania is provided. The problem of miniaturization in wolf spiders is briefly discussed. Based on an analysis of the literature, 32 minute species of wolf spiders in four subfamilies and eleven genera have been reported. The smallest wolf spider known worldwide seems to be Zoica minuta (McKay, 1979) from Australia. Omelko, M.M. & Fomichev, A.A. (2026) A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders. Zootaxa, 5869 (2), 339–350. https://doi.o...

First records of the harvestman Dicranopalpus larvatus (Canestrini, 1874) from Belgium and the Netherlands (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)

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First records of the harvestman Dicranopalpus larvatus (Canestrini, 1874) from Belgium and the Netherlands (Opiliones: Phalangiidae)

Abstract
The harvestman Dicranopalpus larvatus (Canestrini, 1874) is reported for the first time for Belgium as well as for the Netherlands. It is a very rare species of Italian origin. From 2019 onward, D. larvatus was found in Great Britain and several other British islands. It is a small and ground-dwelling species. Both sexes are easy to distinguish from the common Dicranopalpus ramosus Simon, 1909 by their contrasting dorsal colour pattern. As a 'winter species', adults are mostly observed from December to February. Climate change, resulting in milder winter temperatures, likely will allow this species to colonize Western European regions with an oceanic climate regime. 

De Smedt, Pallieter & Vanhercke, Luc & Stevens, Sebastiaan & Lock, Koen & Sluijter, Maarten & Wijnhoven, Hay. (2025). First records of the harvestman Dicranopalpus larvatus (Canestrini, 1874) from Belgium and the Netherlands (Opiliones: Phalangiidae). 2025.