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...

ERGA-BGE-CBP chromosome-level genome assembly of the blind scorpion Belisarius xambeui Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones), the most singular scorpion in Europe

 


ERGA-BGE-CBP chromosome-level genome assembly of the blind scorpion Belisarius xambeui Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones), the most singular scorpion in Europe

Abstract

We present a chromosome-level reference genome for the blind scorpion Belisarius xambeui Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones). The genome size estimated by flow cytometry (4.32 Gb) closely matches the final assembly size (3.98 Gb). The final assembly comprises 19,045 scaffolds, including 56 chromosome-level scaffolds (pseudochromosomes) that account for 90.08% of the total assembly. Nucleotide diversity across the genome was low, with an average π of 0.0018.

Guirao-Rico S, Pisarenco VA, Escuer P et al. ERGA-BGE-CBP chromosome-level genome assembly of the blind scorpion Belisarius xambeui Simon, 1879 (Belisariidae, Scorpiones), the most singular scorpion in Europe [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. Open Res Europe 2026, 6:53 (https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.22872.1)