New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt

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  New locality records and future habitat suitability of Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt Abstract This study reports new locality records from Iran and a climate-based habitat suitability assessment for Sassanidotus gracilis (Birula, 1900) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in the Iran–Afghanistan–Pakistan arid belt. We document new specimens from Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, with an updated distribution map and illustrations, and we model the species' potential distribution across south-eastern Iran and adjacent parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Habitat suitability was associated mainly with precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation of the driest month, and slope. In an arid setting these rainfall variables are unlikely to indicate a need for moist habitat; they more plausibly track seasonal productivity and the terrain features that provide shelter. Present-day suitable areas...

Identification and testing of sex pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider (Lactrodectus hasseltii)

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By Toby Hudson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18357388

Identification and testing of sex pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider (Lactrodectus hasseltii)

Abstract

Australian redback spiders Latrodectus hasseltii, known for their strong neurotoxic venom, are a quarantine threat for much of the world. Female redback spiders produce a sex pheromone that attracts males of the species, yet the compounds involved in their attraction remain unresolved. Our project set out to identify these compounds and use them to trap male redback spiders as the first step in the development of a pest management/surveillance tool for these spiders. Headspace volatiles from the silk of virgin and mated female redback spiders was collected by solid phase microextraction and analysed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Silk samples were also solvent extracted for analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Comparison with synthetic standards on multiple column phases identified the candidate volatile pheromone components as 2-methylpropanoic acid, (S)-2-methylbutanoic acid and 2-pyrrolidone, while N-3-methylbutanoyl-O-(S)-2-methylbutanoyl-L-serine was identified as the main candidate short-range cue. Bioassays with a combination of these four compounds showed similar levels of attraction to the natural virgin female’s silk. Field trapping trials using a mixture of all four compounds successfully trapped male redback spiders in New Zealand vineyards.

Twidle, A.M., Sullivan, T.E.S., Arahanga, M.T. et al. Identification and testing of sex pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider (Lactrodectus hasseltii). Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-49837-w