First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

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  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

Two new species and three new records of the cobweb spider Platnickina (Araneae, Theridiidae) from Sumatra

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Two new species and three new records of the cobweb spider Platnickina (Araneae, Theridiidae) from Sumatra

Abstract

Two new species of spiders of the genus Platnickina Koçak & Kemal, 2008 are described from Sumatra, Indonesia: Platnickina harapan Dhiya’ulhaq, sp. nov. (♂♀) and Platnickina debu Dhiya’ulhaq, sp. nov. (♂♀). Three species are recorded for the first time from Indonesia: Platnickina adamsoni (Berland, 1934), Platnickina fritilla Gao & Li, 2014, and Platnickina xianfengensis (Zhu & Song, 1992). Detailed diagnoses, descriptions and high-quality photographs are provided for the newly recorded species.

Dhiya’ulhaq NU, Buchori D, Hidayat P, Scheu S, Drescher J (2025) Two new species and three new records of the cobweb spider Platnickina (Araneae, Theridiidae) from Sumatra. Evolutionary Systematics 9(2): 203-220. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.9.162623