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

Habitat Influence on Epigeic Spider Diversity in Silaka, Langeni and Kambi Forests, Eastern Cape, South Africa

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Habitat Influence on Epigeic Spider Diversity in Silaka, Langeni and Kambi Forests, Eastern Cape, South Africa

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we explore spider diversity and the effects of habitat types on spider distribution in the three different types of habitats in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. This serves as an invaluable tool for biodiversity assessment while documenting the presence of spiders taxa across different habitats in the selected study areas. Spiders were collected using pitfall traps in Langeni forest, Kambi forest and Silaka Nature reserve. Two of these sites are situated in Mthatha and one in Port St Johns. A total of 12 families represented by 19 genera and 43 species/morphospecies were recorded. Habitat type did not significantly influence spider abundance. This present study provides an important insight into the composition and relative abundance of epigeic spiders in the a priori selected study sites. Even though the analysis of the sampling effort points the low species richness to under sampling, the dataset provides an indication of the families and guilds present in the studied forests during the period of study. The results also indicate that local habitat conditions may have an influence on the spider community structure. These data contribute to the growing knowledge of South African arachnology knowledge but due to limitations associated with the sampling, the data should be viewed as preliminary.

Mdazu, S., Munyai, C., & Niba, A. (2026). Habitat Influence on Epigeic Spider Diversity in Silaka, Langeni and Kambi Forests, Eastern Cape, South Africa. African Journal of Ecology, 64(2), e70149. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.70149