Integrative taxonomy of the genus Nesticus in central Japan, with the description of a new species and redescriptions of N. echigonus and N. gondai (Araneae, Nesticidae)

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  Integrative taxonomy of the genus Nesticus in central Japan, with the description of a new species and redescriptions of N. echigonus and N. gondai (Araneae, Nesticidae) Abstract Species of the genus Nesticus ( Araneae , Nesticidae ) in central Japan are revised based on morphological and molecular analyses of specimens collected from Niigata and Gunma Prefectures. Among them, a putative undescribed species was discovered having clearly distinguishable morphological characters from other known species in the same area. A phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial COI gene was carried out using a maximum-likelihood method to confirm its distinctiveness. The new species, Nesticus yamabushi sp. nov ., is described based on specimens of both sexes. Furthermore, we provide detailed redescriptions of two other closely related species, N. echigonus and N. gondai , to address the lack of information in their original descriptions and facilitate future identifications. This s...

Reproductive behavior of the ogre-faced spider, Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Araneae: Deinopidae), in its natural habitat

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Reproductive behavior of the ogre-faced spider, Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Araneae: Deinopidae), in its natural habitat

Abstract

In the present study, the reproductive behavior of a representative of the Deinopidae family, Deinopis cf. cylindracea C. L. Koch, 1846, is described for the first time. The behavioral aspects observed were the construction of the male's sperm web, male's approach to fertilization, and end of the couple's pairing. As soon as a male found a female, he began sperm induction. The sperm web is a Y-shaped web, whose internal space forms a flat surface onto which the male deposits his gametes. Sperm were then collected by his copulatory bulbs from the opposite side of the web. After transferring the sperm drops to the pedipalp, the male walked towards the female, approaching her from the dorsal-abdominal region using the dragline thread of the web. The male used his legs to touch both the web and female spider, inducing the female to let go, and positioned her ventral region towards his cephalothorax. The couple hung upside down; the female was suspended by a thread, her cephalothorax perpendicular to the floor. In this position, the male inserted the embolus of the copulatory bulb into the female epigynum and transferred the sperm. The male separated quickly by extending his legs and moving away, returning to an uppermost position in relation to the female. The female, in turn, returned to the prey-ready posture, clipping the capture net again and positioning herself in the same manner as before the reproductive behavior.

German Antonio Villanueva-Bonilla, Vanessa Stefani, Rafael Pereira da Ponte, João Vasconcellos-Neto "Reproductive behavior of the ogre-faced spider, Deinopis cf. cylindracea (Araneae: Deinopidae), in its natural habitat," The Journal of Arachnology, 53(2), 100-104, (17 September 2025) https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-24-009