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

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  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...

Three’s a Crowd: On the Taxonomic Status of Three Species of Macrothele Ausserer, 1871, Described from Africa by Pierre L. G. Benoit (Araneae: Macrothelidae)

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Three’s a Crowd: On the Taxonomic Status of Three Species of Macrothele Ausserer, 1871, Described from Africa by Pierre L. G. Benoit (Araneae: Macrothelidae)

Abstract and figures
The three macrothelid species described by the late P. L. G. Benoit at the Royal Museum for Central Africa are digitised and re-evaluated: Macrothele abrupta Benoit, 1965 and Macrothele incisa Benoit, 1965 are declared nomina dubia as the name bearing types of both taxa are juvenile. Macrothele triangularis Benoit, 1965 is a valid species and we depict and describe its spermathecae for the first time.

Sherwood, Danniella & Jocqué, Rudy. (2025). Three's a crowd: on the taxonomic status of three species of Macrothele Ausserer, 1871 described from Africa by Pierre L. G. Benoit (Araneae: Macrothelidae). Revista Ibérica de Aracnología. 47. 69-72.