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

Description of a new species of the orb-weaver spider genus Zangaraneus Mi, Wang & Feng, 2026 (Araneae, Araneidae) from China

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Description of a new species of the orb-weaver spider genus Zangaraneus Mi, Wang & Feng, 2026 (Araneae, Araneidae) from China

Abstract

Background

The orb-weaver spider genus Zangaraneus Mi, Wang & Feng, 2026 contains four species known only from Xizang, China. In our recent study, the fifth species has been found and is described herein.

New information

A new species of the genus Zangaraneus from central China is described: Zangaraneus zhishengi sp. nov. (♂♀). Diagnostic photos of habitus and copulatory organs are provided.


Wang Z, Wang C, Mi X (2026) Description of a new species of the orb-weaver spider genus Zangaraneus Mi, Wang & Feng, 2026 (Araneae, Araneidae) from China. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e199306. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e199306