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...

First Record of the Orb-Web Spider Species Argiope sector (Forsskål, 1776) (Araneae: Araneidae) from India

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First Record of the Orb-Web Spider Species Argiope sector (Forsskål, 1776) (Araneae: Araneidae) from India

Abstract

The species Argiope sector (Forsskål, 1776) is reported for the first time from India. A brief morphological description and photographic illustrations of the female habitus and copulatory organs are provided, along with a map of its current distribution.

Subhash I. Parmar, Dhruv A. Prajapati, Pranav J. Pandya "First Record of the Orb-Web Spider Species Argiope sector (Forsskål, 1776) (Araneae: Araneidae) from India," Entomological News, 133(2), 120-124, (15 March 2026) https://doi.org/10.3157/021.133.0203