Erranticosa gen. nov.: a New Genus of Wolf Spiders from East Asia with Notes on its Separation from Lycosa and Hogna (Araneae Lycosidae: Lycosinae)

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  Erranticosa gen. nov.: a New Genus of Wolf Spiders from East Asia with Notes on its Separation from Lycosa and Hogna (Araneae Lycosidae: Lycosinae) Abstract The taxonomy and systematic position of the Eastern Asian wolf spider Lycosa coelestis L. Koch, 1878 are revised using an integrative approach. Our study highlights distinctive morphological and molecular differences that separate this species from the generotypes of Lycosa Sundevall,1833 and Hogna Simon, 1885, to which L. coelestis was previously assigned. Based on these findings, we establish a new monotypic genus, Erranticosa gen. nov., to accommodate this species, namely E. coelestis comb. nov. We also discuss the results of a preliminary molecular phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Lycosinae, including Erranticosa gen. nov. Additionally, based on morphological examination of the type material, we reject the synonymy of Lycosa subcoelestis Fox, 1935 with E. coelestis comb. nov., transferring it to Trochosa C.L. Koch, ...

Arthropod-related vehicle collisions increase harvestmen populations along road verges

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Arthropod-related vehicle collisions increase harvestmen populations along road verges

Abstract

The expansion of road networks has been instrumental in facilitating human mobility and economic development. However, this infrastructure presents significant challenges to ecological systems. While most research focusses on the ecology of vertebrates, the potential effects on invertebrates remain understudied. This study investigated the impact of roads on the abundance and diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods, specifically harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) and ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). The results showed that the distance from the road positively influenced the abundance (but not diversity) of beetles, while both the abundance and diversity of the harvestmen were highest near the roads. Further analysis revealed that dead insects were significantly more common near high-speed road sections compared to low-speed sections, probably due to increased road collisions. The abundance of harvestmen (but not beetles) was significantly affected by the presence of dead insects. Mediation analysis showed that high speed roads influence harvestmen abundance indirectly through its effect on dead insects abundance. It seems that the carabid beetles avoided the high-speed sections of the roads. Our findings suggest that roads causes mortality of flying insects via collisions but also serve as an important food source for scavengers such as harvestmen. Thus, road collisions with arthropods generate conditions similar to those observed for vertebrate scavengers feeding on roadkill.
Litavský, J., Prokop, P., Majzlan, O., & Žarnovičan, H. (2025). Arthropod-related vehicle collisions increase harvestmen populations along road verges. Acta Oecologica, 128, 104114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2025.104114