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First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

  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

Revision of Bermejoa panguana Portela & Ríos-Tamayo 2025 and Vitriemboli herzogi (Gabriel, Sherwood & Pérez-Miles 2023) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae)

Forty New Faunistic Records of Spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae) for the Republic of Kosovo

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

First record of Cheiracanthium furculatum Karsch, 1879 from Burkina Faso (Araneae: Cheiracanthiidae)

On Crypsidromus carinatus Valerio, 1980 and its palpal bulb morphology (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

Tails from the Isle of Devils: two new records of non-native invasive scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) successfully intercepted in Bermuda, including the first record of Caraboctonidae

New spider species named after curator | Danni Sherwood | Manchester Museum

First record of Ischnocolus Ausserer, 1871 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Turkey

Predation of the Sharqiyah Sand Gecko Trigonodactylus sharqiyahensis Metallinou & Carranza, 2013 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) by Perez’s Huntsman Spider Eusparassus perezi (Simon, 1902) (Araneae: Sparassidae) in Oman

Guest editorial: celebrating the 70th birthday of Hisham K. El-Hennawy – Egypt’s arachnologist

A remarkable new species of the genus Chilobrachys Karsch, 1892(Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Yunnan, China

A case of gynandry and intersexuality in Phidippus regius C. L. Koch, 1846 (Araneae: Salticidae)

New data on the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Anguilla, Lesser Antilles with description of seven new species

Taxonomic notes on the tarantula genus Heterothele Karsch, 1879 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) with a new synonymy, resurrection of H. longipalpis Karsch, 1879, two nomina dubia, and description of a new species from Tanzania

Contributions to the knowledge of Mauritian araneofauna: new records (Araneae: Araneomorphae) and description of a remarkable new species of intertidal trapdoor spider (Araneae: Barychelidae)

Redescription of Nhandu chromatus Schmidt, 2004 stat. rest. and revalidation of Nhandu sylviae Sherwood, Gabriel & Brescovit, 2023 stat. rest. (Araneae: Theraphosidae)

The taxonomic status of two poorly described Chinese spiders: Cheiracanthium gobi Schmidt & Barensteiner, 2000 (Araneae: Cheiracanthidae) and Alopecosa hoevelsi Schmidt & Barensteiner, 2000 (Araneae: Lycosidae)