Thwaitesia margaritifera O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881: A New State Record of Mirror Cob Web Spider Species (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Chhattisgarh, India

Posted by
  Thwaitesia margaritifera O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881: A New State Record of Mirror Cob Web Spider Species (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Chhattisgarh, India Abstract This study documents the first recorded occurrence of the mirror cobweb spider Thwaitesia margaritifera O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881 in Chhattisgarh, India, and the first record of the genus Thwaitesia in the state. Two adult female specimens were collected by hand from the foliage of a Shorea robusta tree in a forested area of Gariaband District on 27 March 2026. Live specimens were photographed, preserved in 70% ethanol, and examined using a stereo zoom microscope. Identification was based on the morphology of the carapace, abdomen, eyes, legs, spinnerets, and female genital structures, followed by comparison with published taxonomic descriptions. The specimens were characterised by a small, pale greenish-yellow cephalothorax with a dark median stripe, a large laterally compressed abdomen bearing irregular reflective scale...

The first known troglomorphic, eyeless spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): Troglopompilus miracaecatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Nullarbor Caves, Western Australia

Posted by

 


The first known troglomorphic, eyeless spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): Troglopompilus miracaecatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Nullarbor Caves, Western Australia

Abstract

Surveys of caves of the Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia, revealed a remarkable assemblage of exceptionally well-preserved mummified arthropods, comprising Araneae, Blattodea, Coleoptera and Chilopoda, all of which exhibit high levels of troglomorphism, lacking eyes and showing a number of other adaptations. Of note, this arthropod assemblage also included a pompilid wasp which is eyeless and brachypterous and unlike any member of the family known globally. Here, we describe this amazing wasp as Troglopompilus miracaecatus gen. et sp. nov., and discuss its remarkable morphology and possible affinities and biology.

Rodriguez, J., Austin, A. D., & Marsh, J. R. (2026). The first known troglomorphic, eyeless spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): Troglopompilus miracaecatus gen. Et sp. Nov. From the Nullarbor Caves, Western Australia. Austral Entomology, 65(2), e70061. https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70061