Notes on the identity of the orb-weaver spider Araneus nox Simon, 1877 (Araneae: Araneidae) from India, including its transfer to Eriovixia Archer, 1951 and one new synonymy

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  Notes on the identity of the orb-weaver spider Araneus nox Simon, 1877 (Araneae: Araneidae) from India, including its transfer to Eriovixia Archer, 1951 and one new synonymy The orb-weaver genus Araneus Clerck, 1757 has historically served as a heterogeneous assemblage for numerous araneid spiders lacking clear generic placement, and several Asian species formerly assigned to Araneus have subsequently been transferred to more narrowly defined genera. One species that still needs further investigation on its true identity is Araneus nox (Simon, 1877), originally described as Epeira nox Simon, 1877 from Basilan Island, Philippines, and later transferred to Araneus by Simon (1905). In the same year as the description of Epeira nox, Thorell (1877) described Epeira pilula from the Moluccas (Indonesia), which was subsequently synonymised under Epeira nox by Simon (1880). Despite its broad Oriental distribution, the taxonomic identity and generic placement of A. nox have remained insuff...

On the genus Paccius (Araneae, Trachelidae) in Madagascar: two new species, redescriptions, and a key to the species

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On the genus Paccius (Araneae, Trachelidae) in Madagascar: two new species, redescriptions, and a key to the species

Abstract

The Malagasy and Seychellois endemic dark sac spider genus Paccius Simon, 1898 is a putatively highly diverse radiation of trachelids that is currently very poorly known. Here, we describe two new species based on recently collected specimens in Madagascar: P. haddadi sp. nov., from the dry forests of the north-west, and P. mahimborondro sp. nov., from rainforests in the far north. We also redescribe P. madagascariensis (Simon, 1889) and P. mucronatus Simon, 1898, species previously described without illustrations, and provide the first key to the species of the genus.

Pett, B.L., Escobar-Toledo, J. & Ferreira, E. (2025) On the genus Paccius (Araneae, Trachelidae) in Madagascar: two new species, redescriptions, and a key to the species. Zootaxa, 5716 (2), 257–267. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5716.2.5