A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction

  Photo Credit: © Antonino Rametta . All photographs are used with permission. No part of these images may be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without the prior written permission of the photographer. A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction One of the most rewarding aspects of maintaining Arácnido Taxonomy is hearing from naturalists and photographers around the world who take the time to share their discoveries. Every so often, an email arrives that immediately captures your attention. Not because it claims to rewrite what we know about biodiversity, but because it documents something that very few people have the opportunity to witness. Recently, I was contacted by a naturalist in Sicily who shared a series of exceptionally high-quality photographs of a female ladybird spider ( Eresus ) during what appeared to be an interaction with a spider wasp. Along with the images came a simple question: "Could this be scientifically import...

The genome sequence of the snake-back spider, Segestria senoculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Araneae: Segestriidae)

 


The genome sequence of the snake-back spider, Segestria senoculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Araneae: Segestriidae)

Abstract

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Segestria senoculata (snake-back spider; Arthropoda; Arachnida; Araneae; Segestriidae). The assembly contains two haplotypes with total lengths of 3 804.19 megabases and 3 893.16 megabases. Most of haplotype 1 (95.27%) is scaffolded into 8 chromosomal pseudomolecules. Most of haplotype 2 (93.96%) is scaffolded into 8 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled, with a length of 14.73 kilobases. This assembly was generated as part of the Darwin Tree of Life project, which produces reference genomes for eukaryotic species found in Britain and Ireland.

Crowley LM, Roman Maldonado IF, University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab et al. The genome sequence of the snake-back spider, Segestria senoculata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Araneae: Segestriidae) [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. Wellcome Open Res 2026, 11:3 (https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.25404.1)