International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD): Research-Grade Dataset Curation and Growth Assessment

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  International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD): Research-Grade Dataset Curation and Growth Assessment June 5, 2026 The International Tarantula Occurrence Database (ITOD) continues to develop as a curated repository of research-grade tarantula observations derived from iNaturalist. Rather than generating new occurrence records, the project systematically organizes and refines existing iNaturalist observations into a focused dataset intended to facilitate biodiversity research, ecological analysis, and long-term monitoring of theraphosid spiders. Purpose of the ITOD Project All observations included within ITOD originate from the broader iNaturalist platform. The primary goal of the project is not to create an independent occurrence database, but rather to identify, organize, and curate observations that meet research-quality standards while maintaining a consistent focus on members of the family Theraphosidae. By consolidating these observations into a dedicated project, ITOD ...

Contributions to the knowledge of trapdoor spiders: descriptions of Iberesia melici sp. nov., the female of Nemesia dukagjinica Geci & Sherwood, 2025, and new distribution records of some other European nemesiids (Araneae: Nemesiidae)

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Contributions to the knowledge of trapdoor spiders: descriptions of Iberesia melici sp. nov., the female of Nemesia dukagjinica Geci & Sherwood, 2025, and new distribution records of some other European nemesiids (Araneae: Nemesiidae)

Abstract
A new species, Iberesia melici sp. nov., is described from Santa Fé de Montseny, Catalonia, Spain, based on a holotype male; the female of Nemesia dukagjinica Geci & Sherwood, 2025, from Kosovo, is described for the first time. Finally, faunistic data are presented for some specimens of four assorted nemesiids: Brachythele denieri (Simon, 1916), B. media Kulczyński, 1897, Iberesia machadoi Decae & Cardoso, 2006, and Nemesia has tensis Decae, Pantini & Isaia, 2015.

Geci, Donard & Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Contributions to the knowledge of trapdoor spiders: descriptions of Iberesia melici sp. nov., the female of Nemesia dukagjinica Geci & Sherwood, 2025, and new distribution records of some other European nemesiids (Araneae: Nemesiidae). Arachnology. 20. 485-490.