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

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  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...

Description of the male of Kaira candidissima with notes on its natural history (Araneae: Araneidae)

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Description of the male of Kaira candidissima with notes on its natural history (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract

Kaira Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 is a genus of Neotropical spiders that currently includes seventeen species, eight of which are known only from females. These araneids do not make orbicular webs to catch prey but use pheromone-like substances to attract male moths. In this work, the male of K. candidissima (Mello-Leitão, 1941) is described for the first time and individuals of K. gibberosa O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 are recorded, based on specimens from La Pampa, Argentina. The first scanning electron micrographs of male palps of the genus are provided for both species along with illustrations of the unknown male of K. candidissima. The males of K. candidissima can be differentiated from others of the genus by the shape of opisthosoma which is white and has one anterior hump and two lateral tubercles. Kaira candidissima becomes active at dusk and presumably remains so throughout the night. Active individuals were observed hanging from trapezoidal webs extending 1–2 cm from grass leaves, 35-65 cm above the ground, with legs I and II extended. Concentrations of tangled threads can be seen located in the lines of the trapezoidal webs. A juvenile female was observed capturing and consuming a male Cecidomyiidae (Diptera: Nematocera) and an adult female was observed feeding on a lepidopteran. The distribution of these species extends from north-eastern Argentina to north-east of La Pampa province, in central Argentina, representing the southernmost record for the genus.

Peralta-Seen, N., Esquivel, C.A., Blas, G.S. & Diez, F. (2026) Description of the male of Kaira candidissima with notes on its natural history (Araneae: Araneidae). Zootaxa, 5862 (2), 333–346. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.2.7