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

A new species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 from Xizang, China (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae)

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A new species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 from Xizang, China (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae)

ABSTRACT


A new species, Scorpiops rufus sp.n., from Xizang (China), is described and illustrated. The new species is mainly characterized by reddish-brown color, moderate size, carapace with small and dense granules, 17 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 4 est, 4 et) external and 6–8 (usually 7) ventral trichobothria in the pedipalp patella, chela with a length/width ratio about 2.5 in males and 2.6 in females, pedipalp chela fingers are scalloped in both sexes, pectinal teeth count 6 or 7 in males and 5 or 6 in females, pectinal fulcra absent. This brings the total number of species of Scorpiops Peters, 1861 recorded in China to 34.

Lv H., Di Z.1 2023. A new species of the genus Scorpiops Peters, 1861 from Xizang, China (Scorpiones: Scorpiopidae) // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.32. No.3: 323–332