The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae)

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  The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae) Abstract The neonicotinoid imidacloprid can cause lethal and sublethal effects in non-target organisms, including impaired behavior, reduced fertility, disrupted locomotion, and reduced predatory performance in arthropods. Spiders are among the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, yet the effects of neonicotinoids on the predatory function of jumping spiders remain poorly understood. The functional response of a predator describes how predation rates change with prey density and is key to understanding predator–prey dynamics. We tested whether acute exposure to a commercial formulation of imidacloprid at field-recommended concentrations alters the functional response of the Aussie bronze jumping spider, Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880). We compared the predation of treat...

On a new genus of the fossorial wolf spiders from Middle Asia (Araneae, Lycosidae)

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On a new genus of the fossorial wolf spiders from Middle Asia (Araneae, Lycosidae)

Abstract

A new genus, Desertosa gen. nov., is established to accommodate six Middle Asian species of burrowing wolf spiders, of which four are diagnosed and described as new: D. karamola sp. nov. (male, female, SE Kazakhstan), D. kuramin sp. nov. (female, SE Uzbekistan), D. ozernoyi sp. nov. (male, female, SE Kazakhstan), D. zyuzini sp. nov. (male, female, SE Kazakhstan). Two new combinations are proposed: Desertosa kuryk (Esyunin & Efimik, 2025), comb. nov. and D. uzbekistanica (Logunov, 2023), comb. nov.; both ex Lycosa Latreille, 1804. The localities of all Desertosa species are mapped, and an identification key is provided as well. A brief synopsis of the fauna and diversity of the fossorial Lycosidae of Middles Asia is given.

Logunov, D.V. & Nekhaeva, A.A. (2026) On a new genus of the fossorial wolf spiders from Middle Asia (Araneae, Lycosidae). Zootaxa, 5782 (2), 283–312. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5782.2.3