Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider

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  Sex Role–Dependent Behavioral and Architectural Divergence in a Jumping Spider ABSTRACT Sex differences in behavior and functional traits are often attributed to differences in mating effort intensity, but the role of sex-specific parental demands remains poorly understood. Using the jumping spider Toxeus maxillosus —where males engage in mate searching and courtship without providing parental care, while females provide extended maternal care from egg attendance to offspring maturity (around 3 months)—we conducted an exploratory investigation into whether these distinct selective pressures led to divergence in spatial behaviors and nest architecture. Results revealed that males and females showed equivalent accuracy, latency, and learning-related performance in both a route-planning test under water stress and a color-pattern associative memory task. In contrast, during nest-construction assays, females built complex, multi-entrance structures that closely matched the container'...

Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

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Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

Abstract


A new scorpion species, Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., is described from the western foothills of the Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, in the Aegean Region of western Turkey, based on morphological characters. The species is assigned to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, due to the presence of three trichobothria in the em series on the external surface of the pedipalp patella. A. huyukensis sp. n. can be readily distinguished from its all congeners by its yellowish-orange or greyish-orange body and yellow metasomal coloration, the fifth metasomal segment bearing distinct ventrolateral carinae, the presence of six trichobothria in the Pv series, and 4–5 trichobothria in the et series. A. huyukensis sp. n. clearly differs from the geographically close species Euscorpius sultanensis Tropea & Yağmur, 2015, by its reddish brown coloration and higher trichobothrial number in the et series (et = 5 versus 4). The latter species is transferred herein to the genus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein et al., 1999, because it has three trichobothria in the em series and a lower number of trichobothria in the Pv series (Pv = 6). With the description of this species and the new combination for A. sultanensis (Tropea & Yağmur, 2015), comb. n., the number of recognized species in the family Euscorpiidae in Turkey increases to 25, while the genus Alpiscorpius is now represented by 10 species.

Yağmur, E. A., & Yaylı, H. İ. 2025 . Alpiscorpius huyukensis sp. n., an unexpected new species from Sultan Mountains, Konya Province, Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Euscorpius, No. 425: 1-15. https://mds.marshall.edu/euscorpius/vol2025/iss425/1/