A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation?

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  A pseudoscorpion clinging to a cave salamander: phoresy or failed predation? Abstract Pseudoscorpions are well known for phoretic associations with arthropods, but interactions with amphibians are rarely documented. Here we report a pseudoscorpion attached to the left palpebral region of an adult male Italian cave salamander, Speleomantes italicus , observed during a visual survey in a karst cave in Tuscany, Italy. The pseudoscorpion, assigned on the basis of visible morphology and locality to Chthonius cf. elongatus , was grasping a minute cutaneous fold on the lower margin of the left upper eyelid with one chela while the salamander moved slowly over the rock surface. No handling was performed and the initial contact between the two animals was not observed. The event therefore cannot be interpreted unambiguously, but may represent opportunistic phoresy or defensive attachment following a failed predation attempt. To our knowledge, this is the first published observation of a ...

Morphological and molecular evidence support a new species of the genus Ilocomba Brescovit, 1997 (Araneae, Anyphaenidae, Anyphaeninae) from the Andes of Colombia

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Morphological and molecular evidence support a new species of the genus Ilocomba Brescovit, 1997 (Araneae, Anyphaenidae, Anyphaeninae) from the Andes of Colombia

Abstract

We describe a new species of the genus Ilocomba Brescovit, 1997 from the Andean region of Colombia using an integrative taxonomic approach that combines morphological and molecular data. We assess the phylogenetic position of the new species using four molecular markers: COI, 16S, 28S, and H3. The distinctiveness of the new species, Ilocomba yotoco sp. nov., is supported by its placement in the phylogenetic tree, unique morphological characteristics, and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances. We also provide new morphological data and geographic records for Ilocomba marta Brescovit, 1997. Additionally, we present a distribution map of the genus and an updated identification key for all known species of Ilocomba.

Martínez L, Eyes-Escalante M, Cabra-García J (2026) Morphological and molecular evidence support a new species of the genus Ilocomba Brescovit, 1997 (Araneae, Anyphaenidae, Anyphaeninae) from the Andes of Colombia. ZooKeys 1278: 19-51. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1278.162601