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

New data on Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the South Caucasus

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Abstract

In this paper, we present new taxonomic and faunistic data on the genera Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) occurring in the South Caucasus. Four species of Theridion are described as new to science: Th. absheronicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Azerbaijan), Th. araratense sp. nov. (♂♀; Armenia), Th. caucasicum sp. nov. (♂♀; Armenia, Azerbaijan), and Th. huseynovi sp. nov. (♂♀; Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran); DNA barcodes are provided for the latter species. A new combination, Anatolidion arsia (Zamani & Marusik, 2021) comb. nov. (ex Theridion), is proposed; this species is newly recorded from the Caucasus, and its male is described for the first time. Additionally, Th. betteni Wiehle, 1960 is recorded from the South Caucasus for the first time, and N. suaveolens (Simon, 1880) is newly recorded in Azerbaijan. Distribution records for all treated species in the South Caucasus are mapped.

Zamani, A., Seropian, A. & Marusik, Y.M. (2026) New data on Anatolidion Wunderlich, 2008, Neottiura Menge, 1868, and Theridion Walckenaer, 1805 (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the South Caucasus. Zootaxa, 5866 (2), 231–252. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5866.2.2