A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction

  Photo Credit: © Antonino Rametta . All photographs are used with permission. No part of these images may be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without the prior written permission of the photographer. A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction One of the most rewarding aspects of maintaining Arácnido Taxonomy is hearing from naturalists and photographers around the world who take the time to share their discoveries. Every so often, an email arrives that immediately captures your attention. Not because it claims to rewrite what we know about biodiversity, but because it documents something that very few people have the opportunity to witness. Recently, I was contacted by a naturalist in Sicily who shared a series of exceptionally high-quality photographs of a female ladybird spider ( Eresus ) during what appeared to be an interaction with a spider wasp. Along with the images came a simple question: "Could this be scientifically import...

New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species

 


New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species

Abstract

As a result of an examination of a small, recent collection, new faunistic and taxonomic data on the spiders of Morocco are provided. A total of 20 species from 12 families were identified, including five species newly described herein: Gorbiscape amazighus sp. nov. (♂♀; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Agelenidae], Liocranum atlasicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Liocranidae], Zelotes maroccanus sp. nov. (♀; Tanger–Tétouan–Al Houceima Region), Z. reuteri sp. nov. (♂; Marrakech–Safi Region) [Gnaphosidae], and Zodarion neblibohakrostorum sp. nov. (♂; Tanger–Tétouan–Al Houceima Region) [Zodariidae]. Ballus chalybeius (Walckenaer, 1802) [Salticidae] and the genus Liocranum L. Koch, 1866 are newly recorded from Morocco, while Psilochorus simoni (Berland, 1911) [Pholcidae] is recorded in Africa for the first time. Additionally, photographic illustrations and SEM images are provided for Lycosoides murphyorum Bosmans, 2022 [Agelenidae] and Rhode scutiventris Simon, 1882 [Dysderidae]. Finally, four species are transferred from Agelena Walckenaer, 1805 [Agelenidae] to Gorbiscape Zamani & Marusik, 2020: G. canariensis (Lucas, 1838) comb. nov. from the Canary Islands and Northwest Africa, and G. gomerensis (Wunderlich, 1992) comb. nov., G. gonzalezi (Schmidt, 1980) comb. nov. and G. tenerifensis (Wunderlich, 1992) comb. nov. from the Canary Islands.

Zamani, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2025) New taxonomic and faunistic data on Moroccan spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 5692 (2), 321–337. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5692.2.6