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

Revealing new species within a species complex of Nemesia Audouin, 1826 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) trapdoor spiders from Andalusia (Spain)

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Revealing new species within a species complex of  Nemesia  Audouin, 1826 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) trapdoor spiders from Andalusia (Spain)

Four new species of the Nemesia dorthesi group , morphologically similar to Nemesia shenlongi Pertegal, García, Molero-Baltanás & Knapp, 2022, from Andalusia (Spain), are described on the basis of various aspects such as morphology, burrow architecture, behavior and habitus: Nemesia eira n. sp. from the province of Cadiz, N. gajui n. sp. from the municipality of Cordoba, N. socohina n. sp. from Guadalcázar, Cordoba, and N. ripolli n. sp. from Cártama, Málaga. In addition to traditional diagnostic characteristics, this study analyzes the dispersal capacity, distribution, and taxonomic status of the nominate species N. ariasi Simon, 1914 from Morocco and N. macrocephala occidentalis Frade & Bacelar, 1931 from Guadalajara and Valencia, Spain.