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

Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae)

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Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae)

The genus Lachesana Strand, 1932 belongs to the subfamily Lachesaninae Jocqué, 1991, and currently contains 14 valid species (WSC 2026) from Central Asia and the Middle East: Lachesana bayramgocmeni Özkütük, Yağmur, Gücel, Shafaie, Özden & Kunt, 2020 (♂♀; Cyprus); L. blackwalli (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (♂♀; Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey); L. dyachkovi Fomichev & Marusik, 2019 (♂; Kahazakstan); L. gavishae Shafaie & Pekár, 2025 (♂♀; Israel); L. graeca Thaler & Knoflach, 2004 (♂; Greece); L. insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 (♂; Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates); L. kavirensis Zamani & Marusik, 2021 (♂; Iran); L. naxos Wunderlich, 2022 (♂; Greece); L. perseus Zamani & Marusik, 2021 (♂; Iran); L. perversa (Audouin, 1826) (♂; Egypt, and Syria); L. rufiventris (Simon, 1873) (♂♀; Greece, Israel, and Syria); L. salam Hammouri, Ganem & Gavish-Regev, 2024 (Israel, Palestine, and Syria), and L. tarabaevi Zonstein & Ovtchinnikov, 1999 (♂♀; Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan). The biology of Lachesana has been investigated by some workers (e.g. Pekár & Lubin, 2009), and the genus has featured in a recent phylogenomic work, which supported its placement alongside other species previously considered to belong to the Lachesaninae, albeit based on a single representative species of the genus (Ortiz et al., 2025). As of the time of writing, three species of zodariid are known to be present in Saudi Arabia: L. insensibilis, Trygetus riyadhensis Ono & Jocqué, 1986 and Zodarion buettikeri (Ono & Jocqué, 1986) (El-Hennawy, 2014). More widely within the Arabian Peninsula, other species of the aforementioned genera exist, in addition to species of the genera Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966, Pax Levy, 1990, and Parazodarion Ovtchinnikov, Ahmad & Gurko, 2009 (World Spider Catalog 2026).

 Sherwood, D., Buelvas, D.A. & Jocqué, R. (2026) Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae). Zootaxa, 5873 (2), 392–400. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5873.2.16