First record of bird and spider species preying on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Amazon Forest

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  First record of bird and spider species preying on dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in the Amazon Forest Abstract Predator-prey relationships are critical for establishing trophic networks, but our understanding of these interactions is hindered by a lack of records in tropical rainforest ecosystems. Although literature indicates that dung beetles may be preyed by a wide range of animal species, surprisingly, there are no such antagonistic records between dung beetles and other species in the Amazon forest. The objective of this study is to present two records of such interactions in the Amazon, involving a bird and a spider species preying on dung beetles. The bird  Galbula albirostris  Latham, 1790 (Aves: Galbulidae) was observed feeding on a Deltochilini dung beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in a  terra firme  forest, while a  Canthidum  sp. was captured in a  Trichonephila  sp. (Araneae: Nephilidae) spider web on a...

Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae)

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Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract
An egg sac of the non-native spider Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Araneidae) found on the leaf of an imported shrub Heptapleurum arboricola Hayata (Araliaceae) from Costa Rica is described and illustrated following its interception in the United Kingdom.

Deady, Rob & Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae). Natura Somogyiensis. 46. 21-24. 10.24394/NatSom.2025.46.21. https://doi.org/10.24394/NatSom.2025.46.21