The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber

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  The largest fossil of the segmented spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Mesothelae: Parvithelidae) from Cretaceous Burmese amber Abstract A new specimen of the fossil spider Parvithele muelleri Wunderlich, 2017 (Araneae: Mesothelae) is described from the mid-Cretaceous (ca. 99 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Like the original holotype, the new specimen is a mature male, which clearly preserves a series of tibial macrospines, similar to the condition in the extant genus Liphistius Schiødte, 1849. Given that the single extant mesothele family, Liphistiidae, is predicted to have radiated ca. 39–58 million years ago, the occurrence of somewhat modern-looking male pedipalp spination in older fossil mesotheles is of considerable interest. The new specimen also shows spinnerets in a relatively posterior position, although variability observed in extant species suggests that this trait may be of limited systematic value. Of particular note is the presence of a large and well-dev...

Revisiting the tarantula genus Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): new insights on male palpal bulb morphology and description of three new species

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Revisiting the tarantula genus Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): new insights on male palpal bulb morphology and description of three new species

Abstract

We reassess the palpal bulb morphology and taxonomy of Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 based on the examination of several types of previously described species and the description of three new species (N. moraspungo Cisneros-Heredia, Peñaherrera-R., Guerrero-Campoverde, León-E., Gabriel & Sherwood sp. nov., N. samonellaacademy Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Guerrero-Campoverde, Gabriel, Sherwood & Cisneros-Heredia sp. nov., and N. tiputini Guerrero-Campoverde, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Gabriel, Sherwood & Cisneros-Heredia sp. nov.) from Ecuador. A new keel structure is named and herein considered as a valid diagnostic feature for the genus, previously identified as a prolateral inferior keel. The rest of the keel identification of Neischnocolus is also relabelled in concordance with Bertani’s (2000) keel homology hypothesis. Amended diagnoses of almost all the species are provided, leaving only Neischnocolus obscurus (Ausserer, 1875) since the type material has not been located.

Peñaherrera-R., Pedro, Ariel Guerrero-Campoverde, Roberto J. León-E., Ray Gabriel, Danniella Sherwood, and Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia. 2025. “Revisiting the Tarantula Genus Neischnocolus Petrunkevitch, 1925 (Araneae, Theraphosidae): New Insights on Male Palpal Bulb Morphology and Description of Three New Species”. European Journal of Taxonomy 1022 (1):19–50. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1022.3079.