A new Cataleptoneta species (Araneae, Leptonetidae) from sulfidic caves in Greece and Albania

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  A new Cataleptoneta species (Araneae, Leptonetidae) from sulfidic caves in Greece and Albania Abstract A new species of the genus Cataleptoneta Denis, 1955, Cataleptoneta sulfur sp. nov ., is described from caves in the Vromoner Canyon (Sarandaporo River Valley), on the Greek–Albanian border (northwestern Greece and southern Albania), on the basis of both sexes. Drawings, scanning electron micrographs, and digital images of diagnostic features are presented. Analysis of COI mitochondrial barcode sequences confirmed the species distinction from all the other sequences. Within the species two separate lineages, unique to each cave were found. The genus Cataleptoneta is not monophyletic as now circumscribed and confirmed also by the phylogenetic analysis of the sequences. Urák I, Ştefan A, Motoc RM, Brad T, Zsigmond A-R, Sarbu SM, Szűts T (2026) A new Cataleptoneta species (Araneae, Leptonetidae) from sulfidic caves in Greece and Albania. ZooKeys 1294: 89-107. https://doi.org/...

Three new species of the open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from southwest Western Australia

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Three new species of the open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from southwest Western Australia

Abstract

The Australian endemic open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha Simon, 1908 currently contains 13 described species distributed throughout southern Australia. We describe three new species from the Southwest Australia biodiversity hotspot: Proshermacha katana sp. nov. and Proshermacha rapier sp. nov. from the Esperance Plains bioregion, and Proshermacha scimitar sp. nov. from the Esperance Plains and Jarrah Forest bioregions. We further conduct a multilocus molecular analysis to reveal the phylogenetic placement of two of these newly-described species.

Sagastume-Espinoza KO, Wilson JD & Harvey MS (2025). Three new species of the open-holed trapdoor spider genus Proshermacha (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae) from southwest Western Australia. Australian Journal of Taxonomy 104: 1–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.54102/ajt.jgkav