Thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale: novel insights and comparative analysis with a sympatric species

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  Thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale: novel insights and comparative analysis with a sympatric species Abstract Understanding thermal responses in ectotherms is key to assessing vulnerability to climate change. Tarantulas (Theraphosidae) are informative models due to their sedentary lifestyle, long life cycles, and reliance on specific microhabitats. We present the first integrative assessment of the thermal ecology of Plesiopelma longisternale , a widespread Argentine species, combining experimentally derived thermal limits and thermal preferences with species distribution models, and compare its thermal profile with the sympatric Grammostola vachoni to explore patterns of thermal niche differentiation. Plesiopelma longisternale showed a minimum thermal limit near 4 °C, a maximum near 44 °C, a thermal optimum of 29.5 °C, a narrow thermal performance breadth, and a preferred temperature of approximately 32 °C. Models integrating climatic and thermal parameters predicted...

From folkloric origins to scientific systematics: the first detailed redescription of the type species of Lycosa Latreille, 1804 with insight into the genus (Araneae: Lycosidae)

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From folkloric origins to scientific systematics: the first detailed redescription of the type species of Lycosa Latreille, 1804 with insight into the genus (Araneae: Lycosidae)


Abstract

The genus Lycosa has often served as a wastebasket taxon for species whose systematic position within the Lycosidae remains unclear. This is partly due to the lack of clear information regarding the diagnostic characters of its nominal species, the southern European Lycosa tarantula (Linnaeus, 1758). Despite being known for centuries by both academics and the general public, with the earliest published depictions dating back to the late 16th century, the taxonomy of this species has long been neglected. In this study, we redescribe L. tarantula based on samples from its ‘terra typica’ in southern Italy. We provide detailed photographs and illustrations of the diagnostic characters of both the copulatory organs and the habitus of the species, along with remarks about its ecology, distribution, and historiography. Additionally, we designate a neotype using a sample from the type locality, the Taranto area, and provide its molecular barcode. Two subspecies, L. tarentula carsica Caporiacco, 1949 syn. nov. and L. tarantula cisalpina Simon, 1937 syn. nov., are synonymized with L. tarantula based on the absence of morphological differences. Finally, since Lycosa is considered polyphyletic and in urgent need of a proper revision, we provide notes on Lycosa s. str. restricting it to 23 putative species. We believe that this information will support future taxonomic and systematic studies on the genus.

Ballarin, Francesco, Yuri M. Marusik, Paolo Pantini, and Anton A. Nadolny. 2026. “From Folkloric Origins to Scientific Systematics: The First Detailed Redescription of the Type Species of Lycosa Latreille, 1804 With Insight into the Genus (Araneae: Lycosidae)”. European Journal of Taxonomy 1043 (1):244-86. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1043.3221.