A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation?

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  A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation? Abstract Pseudoscorpions are well known for phoretic associations with arthropods, but interactions with amphibians are rarely documented. Here we report a pseudoscorpion attached to the left palpebral region of an adult male Italian cave salamander, Speleomantes italicus , observed during a visual survey in a karst cave in Tuscany, Italy. The pseudoscorpion, assigned on the basis of visible morphology and locality to Chthonius cf. elongatus , was grasping a minute cutaneous fold on the lower margin of the left upper eyelid with one chela while the salamander moved slowly over the rock surface. No handling was performed and the initial contact between the two animals was not observed. The event therefore cannot be interpreted unambiguously, but may represent opportunistic phoresy or defensive attachment following a failed predation attempt. To our knowledge, this is the first published observation of a ...

Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal three new species of Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from spiders

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Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal three new species of Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from spiders

Abstract

The genus Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae) comprises spider-pathogenic fungi. Three new species, G. pseudopigmentosa, G. pseudosolita, and G. sinensis, were discovered on spiders in the leaf litter of forests in Yunnan and Jilin provinces, China, and in Vientiane Prefecture and Oudomxay Province, Laos. Morphological and multi-locus phylogenetic analyses (based on nrSSU, ITS, nrLSU, tef-1α, rpb1, and rpb2) support their recognition as distinct taxa. Gibellula pseudopigmentosa is distinguished from its sister species, G. pigmentosinum, by smaller perithecia and shorter ascospores. Gibellula pseudosolita differs from its close relatives by producing multiple synnemata per host and possessing smaller conidia. Gibellula sinensis is characterized by shorter conidiophores and smaller conidial heads compared with morphologically similar species. This study presents the first formal record of Gibellula from Laos, significantly expanding the known distribution of the genus in Southeast Asia and contributing to our understanding of its diversity.

Chang C-xin, Chen H, Loinheuang C, Dai Y-dong, Wang Y (2026) Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal three new species of Gibellula (Cordycipitaceae, Hypocreales) from spiders. MycoKeys 127: 135-154. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.127.177871