Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain

Posted by
  Hidden diversity in plain sight: four new species of Nemesia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) from the Córdoba Province of Spain Abstract A taxonomic revision of the species of Nemesia Audouin, 1826, distributed in the vicinity of Córdoba City, southern Spain, is presented. Four new species are described: Nemesia morana sp. nov. (female), N. kodama sp. nov. (male and female), N. rosae sp. nov. (male and female), and N. tamajoni sp. nov. (male and female). These species are distinguished by distinct morphological characters, including the shape of the spermathecae, palpal bulbs, and spinnerets, as well as by burrow architecture. Fieldwork was conducted across two of the three major habitat types in the region—the humid, forested mountains of Sierra Morena and the croplands and riparian forests of the Guadalquivir Valley—while the third, the “campiña”, which is mainly composed of agricultural landscapes, remains poorly explored. Sampling methods included pitfall trapping and the direct e...

Ghost sighting: first Southeast Asian record of the ghost spider family Anyphaenidae, describing a new Rathalos species from Java, Indonesia

Posted by

 


Ghost sighting: first Southeast Asian record of the ghost spider family Anyphaenidae, describing a new Rathalos species from Java, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

A new species of bamboo-associated ghost spider, Rathalos inagami Dhiya’ulhaq & Dwikelana sp. nov., is described from Java, Indonesia, based on male and female specimens. The species is diagnosed by distinct genitalic characters, including a four-lobed median apophysis in males and a wide triangular epigynal plate with strongly S-shaped copulatory ducts in females. This constitutes the first record of the family Anyphaenidae and the genus Rathalos from Southeast Asia, thereby extending the known distribution of the group.