Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

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  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

Parasitoidism of Aphonopelma hentzi (Girard, 1852) (Araneae: Theraphosidae) and first records of Pepsis mildei Stål, 1857 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) in Missouri, U.S.A.

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Parasitoidism of Aphonopelma hentzi (Girard, 1852) (Araneae: Theraphosidae) and first records of Pepsis mildei Stål, 1857 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) in Missouri, U.S.A.

The life history of wasps in the genus Pepsis Fabricius, 1804, colloquially known as ‘tarantula hawk-wasps’ or ‘tarantula hawks’, has been described by Williams (1956). The female wasp paralyzes her host, most often a mygalomorph spider, with a venomous sting and buries it in a burrow. Before leaving, the wasp lays an egg on the spider’s abdomen, which hatches into a larva that feeds on the tarantula and develops through multiple instars before pupating and then digging out of the chamber as an adult. While some tarantula hawks parasitize non-tarantula spider families of Mygalomorphae, many parasitize Theraphosidae (tarantulas) exclusively. These host capture events are well documented, but few Pepsis sightings have been documented at the northeasternmost distributional limit of Theraphosidae in North America, namely, the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi River in east-central Missouri. This paper describes an observation of a species of Pepsis attempting to capture a host tarantula in the region and documents contemporary captures of Pepsis mildei Stål, 1857 in Missouri, a new record for the state and likely the species observed in the wasp-tarantula interaction.

Becky Hansis-O'Neill, Ted C. MacRae "Parasitoidism of Aphonopelma hentzi (Girard, 1852) (Araneae: Theraphosidae) and first records of Pepsis mildei Stål, 1857 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) in Missouri, U.S.A.," The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 101(4), 305-311, (31 December 2025)