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

On the synonymization of Lipocrea and Lariniaria with Larinia (Araneae: Araneidae) using molecular systematics

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By Akio Tanikawa - http://spider.fun.cx/okinawa/List.htm, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3513715

On the synonymization of Lipocrea and Lariniaria with Larinia (Araneae: Araneidae) using molecular systematics

Abstract
Molecular phylogenetic analyses, Bayesian inference and Maximum Likelihood, were conducted using datasets of five genes to assess the validity of the genera Lipocrea Thorell 1878 and Lariniaria Grasshoff 1970. While the genus Larinia Simon 1874 sensu lato was initially suspected to be polyphyletic, the results showed that the target species of this study, including the ones of Lipocrea and Lariniaria, formed a monophyletic group. Thus, both genera should be considered junior synonyms of Larinia as a separation from the latter is unnecessary. Nonetheless, the analysis reaffirmed concerns regarding the potential polyphyly of Larinia sensu lato and indicated the need for further investigation. 
Akio Tanikawa, Thanakron Into, Booppa Petcharad, On the synonymization of Lipocrea and Lariniaria with Larinia (Araneae: Araneidae) using molecular systematics, Acta Arachnologica, 2025, Volume 74, Issue 2, Pages 85-89, Released on J-STAGE December 11, 2025, Online ISSN 1880-7852, Print ISSN 0001-5202, https://doi.org/10.2476/asjaa.74.85, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/asjaa/74/2/74_85/_article/-char/en