New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

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  New insights into maternal care and juvenile dispersal in Pterinopelma roseum (Araneae: Theraphosidae) Abstract Tarantulas (Theraphosidae) exhibit a wide diversity of reproductive behaviors, yet many aspects of their natural history, particularly those related to maternal care and juvenile dispersal, remain poorly known. Pterinopelma roseum is a species distributed in southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina for which information on reproductive biology is limited. The aim of this study was to document maternal care, egg sac composition, and juvenile dispersal through the monitoring of a female collected together with its egg sac in Misiones Province, Argentina. The female was maintained under controlled laboratory conditions and observed daily until juvenile dispersal. During the incubation period, the female actively protected the egg sac, remaining in contact with it most of the time and displaying defensive behaviors when disturbed, while continuing to feed regularly. The e...

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