A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction

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  Photo Credit: © Antonino Rametta . All photographs are used with permission. No part of these images may be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without the prior written permission of the photographer. A Remarkable Discovery: Exploring a Rare Eresus and Spider Wasp Interaction One of the most rewarding aspects of maintaining Arácnido Taxonomy is hearing from naturalists and photographers around the world who take the time to share their discoveries. Every so often, an email arrives that immediately captures your attention. Not because it claims to rewrite what we know about biodiversity, but because it documents something that very few people have the opportunity to witness. Recently, I was contacted by a naturalist in Sicily who shared a series of exceptionally high-quality photographs of a female ladybird spider ( Eresus ) during what appeared to be an interaction with a spider wasp. Along with the images came a simple question: "Could this be scientifically import...

Arachnids of the Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area

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Arachnids of the Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area

Abstract

The Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area (YDWMA) was established by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department in 2014. No prior surveys of the invertebrate fauna had been undertaken at the WMA. This study conducted a taxonomic survey of the arachnids in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The arachnids were sampled using a combination of pitfall trapping, sweep netting, and general collecting. Eight pitfall arrays were deployed, four in mesquite habitat and four in shinnery oak habitat. The arachnids were sampled for 1-week periods during May-August. Eight samples and eight general collecting samples were also gathered during each sampling period. A total of 28 families, 66 genera, and 101 species of arachnids in five orders were documented. All the species identified represent new records for Cochran County, Texas. A total of 49 species of spiders and two species of Solifugae are the first reports for the Southern High Plains of Texas. Notably, the following three species of spiders: Agyneta fratrella (Chamberlin 1919), Piabuna pallida Chamberlin & Ivie 1935, and Allocosa morelosiana (Gertsch & Davis 1940) are documented in Texas for the first time.

Zechariah Saavedra, W. David Sissom "Arachnids of the Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area," Southwestern Entomologist, 51(2), 657-679, (5 May 2026) https://doi.org/10.3958/059.051.0221