New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt

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  New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt Abstract This study reports new locality records from Iran and a climate-based habitat suitability assessment for Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt. We document new specimens from Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, with an updated distribution map and illustrations, and we model the species' potential distribution across south-eastern Iran and adjacent parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Habitat suitability was associated mainly with precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, and slope. In an arid setting these rainfall variables are unlikely to indicate a need for moist habitat; they more plausibly track seasonal productivity and the terrain features that provide shelter. Present-day suitable areas...

Contributions to the knowledge of Mauritian araneofauna: new records (Araneae: Araneomorphae) and description of a remarkable new species of intertidal trapdoor spider (Araneae: Barychelidae)

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Contributions to the knowledge of Mauritian araneofauna: new records (Araneae: Araneomorphae) and description of a remarkable new species of intertidal trapdoor spider (Araneae: Barychelidae)

Abstract

We provide faunistic records of spiders from Mauritius, including 14 species new to the archipelago, representing a 27.45% increase in known spider diversity. We describe a new flagship endemic species of intertidal trapdoor spider: Idioctis marevallum sp. nov.; in addition, we provide observations and photographs of its burrow structure and general habitat.

Acknowledgment: I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Danni Sherwood for providing the complete manuscript.

Sherwood, Danniella. (2026). Contributions to the knowledge of Mauritian araneofauna: new records (Araneae: Araneomorphae) and description of a remarkable new species of intertidal trapdoor spider (Araneae: Barychelidae). Arachnology. 20. 608-622.