New widow spider record of Latrodectus dahli Levi (Araneae: Theridiidae) extends known range in Northern Saudi Arabia

Posted by
  Image Credit: iNaturalist Photo 400937400, (c) Kian, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kian, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/400937400 New widow spider record of Latrodectus dahli Levi (Araneae: Theridiidae) extends known range in Northern Saudi Arabia ABSTRACT Researchers have documented the first confirmed occurrence of Dahl’s widow spider ( Latrodectus dahli vn Saudi Arabia’s Ha’il Region, extending the species’ known range into the country’s north. The finding fills an important gap in the spider’s Middle Eastern distribution and highlights how even medically important species remain under-documented in parts of the Arabian Peninsula. L. dahli Levi is a medically significant widow spider that is found in North Africa, Cyprus, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Middle East, Iran and Central Asia. Prior to our work, there had been no records of it in northern Saudi Arabia although it had been found in central regions of Saudi Arabia such as Al Duwadimi, Riyadh and ...

On Episinus maculipes Cavanna, 1876 in Belgium: a significant range expansion fifteen years after its initial discovery

Posted by

 


On Episinus maculipes Cavanna, 1876 in Belgium: a significant range expansion fifteen years after its initial discovery

Abstract 

Episinus maculipes, previously considered very rare in Belgium following its first observation in 2010, is here reassessed. New data reveal a sharp increase in observations, particularly since 2020, reflecting a rapid range expansion, with the species now recorded in all Belgian provinces. E. maculipes is expected to become widespread across Belgium.

Henrard, A., Van Keer, J., Janssen, M., Jacobs, M., Van Keer, K., Bosmans, R., Alderweireldt, M., Logghe, G., Jansen, L., Drumont, A., Vanlaer, A. & Grégoire, J.-C. (2026). On Episinus maculipes Cavanna, 1876 in Belgium: a significant range expansion fifteen years after its initial discovery. Journal of the Belgian Arachnological Society 41(1): 60-63.