A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species

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  A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species Abstract The ability to adhere to surfaces is particularly relevant for cursorial predatory arthropods like hunting spiders, which often traverse relatively complex environments characterized by large variation in substrate properties. Here, we evaluated the adhesive performance of six hunting spider species that are common in eastern temperate North America and lack specialized tarsi for climbing smooth or inclined surfaces [Lycosidae: Pardosa lapidicina Emerton, 1885 and Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer, 1837); Oxyopidae: Oxyopes salticus Hentz, 1845; Pisauridae: Pisaurina mira (Walckenaer, 1837); Dolomedidae: Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837), and Dolomedes scriptus Hentz, 1845]. We tested adhesion performance as shear load resistance (g) on a glass plate, and as the angle of failure (°) when the plate was gradually inclined relative to horizontal. Average angle of failure and shear resistance differed among ...

The first checklist of Mygalomorphae spiders in the Brazilian Espinhaço mountain range

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The first checklist of Mygalomorphae spiders in the Brazilian Espinhaço mountain range

ABSTRACT

The Espinhaço Range (ER) is a megadiverse mountain system, formed by four main orographic units located in the ecotone of the phytophysiognomies of Cerrado, Caatinga, and Mata Atlântica. The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae presents records of 12 families in Brazil and, despite few studies on arachnids, the diversity of Mygalomorphae spiders from ER is still unknown. Aiming to provide a composition of Mygalomorphae species richness in the Espinhaço Range, we compiled historical records from literature and new records of scientific collections and fieldwork expeditions. Our survey recorded 21 genera and 47 species, of which eight are potentially endemic to the ER and three are listed as threatened by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio). Despite the great diversity at the ER, the results showed an underestimation of Mygalomorphae species richness at the ER, with at least 19 species from six genera currently being described in parallel taxonomic studies. Overall, this survey provides the first comprehensive checklist of Mygalomorphae richness in the ER and highlights its importance as an endemism center and a priority area for biodiversity conservation.

Marquezin-Gomes, A. G., Prezzi Indicatti, R., Fonseca-Ferreira, R., Martins, P. H., Morais Ghirotto, V., Brescovit, A. D., … Guadanucci, J. P. L. (2026). The first checklist of Mygalomorphae spiders in the Brazilian Espinhaço mountain range. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2026.2618673