First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

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  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

On the first Subandean species of Myrmecium Latreille, 1824 (Araneae, Corinnidae) from the Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador

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On the first Subandean species of Myrmecium Latreille, 1824 (Araneae, Corinnidae) from the Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador 

The ant-mimicking spider genus Myrmecium Latreille, 1824, revised by Candiani & Bonaldo (2017), can be diagnosed from other Castianeirinae by the presence of three deep constrictions of the cephalothorax, the long and obliquely inserted pedicel, the sternum posterior margins projected between coxae IV, generally forming a T-shape, pleural sclerites between legs III and IV fused with the sternum and carapace, and coxae III and IV almost vertically oriented and separated by more than twice the width of coxa III (Candiani & Bonaldo 2017).

Peñaherrera-R., P., Guerrero-Molina, T. & Cisneros-Heredia, D. F. (2026). On the first Subandean species of Myrmecium Latreille, 1824 (Araneae, Corinnidae) from the Cordillera del Cóndor, Ecuador. Zootaxa 5810(1): 184-188. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5810.1.10