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

Four new species of Harmonicon F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1896 from Brazil with the first male description of H. rufescens (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae)

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Four new species of Harmonicon F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1896 from Brazil with the first male description of H. rufescens (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae)

Abstract
Four new species of Harmonicon F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1896 are described from the Cerrado biome of Brazil. Three new species are from Tocantins state, in the North region of Brazil: H. arraias n. sp. (♂), H. palmas n. sp. (♂♀), H. tocantins n. sp. (♂), and one new species is from Mato Grosso state, in the Central-west Brazil: H. guimaraes n. sp. (♂♀). Furthermore, we here describe for the first time the male of H. rufescens F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1896 and expand the distribution range of this species and that of H. candango Wermelinger-Moreira, Castanheira & Baptista 2024.
Gabriel Wermelinger-Moreira, Renner Luiz Cerqueira Baptista, Four new species of Harmonicon F. O. Pickard-Cambridge 1896 from Brazil with the first male description of H. rufescens (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Dipluridae), Acta Arachnologica, 2026, Volume 75, Issue 1, Pages 25-46, Released on J-STAGE June 07, 2026, Online ISSN 1880-7852, Print ISSN 0001-5202, https://doi.org/10.2476/asjaa.75.25, https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/asjaa/75/1/75_25/_article/-char/en