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

Record of the cob-web spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum (C. L. Koch, 1841) (Araneae: Theridiidae) feeding on the scorpion Tityus serrulatus (Lutz & Mello 1922) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in urban area of Brazil

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Record of the cob-web spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum (C. L. Koch, 1841) (Araneae: Theridiidae) feeding on the scorpion Tityus serrulatus (Lutz & Mello 1922) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in urban area of Brazil


The cob-web spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum (C. L. Koch, 1841) (Araneae: Theridiidae) is a species that probably has tropical South American origin (Levi, 1967) but currently has a cosmopolitan distribution and is highly synanthropic (Oda & Akiyama-Oda, 2020). Parasteatoda tepidariorum is a generalist and opportunistic predator that weaves a patternless and tangled web, where it waits for and attacks prey that fall into it (Blasco-Ar6steguii & Calatayud­ Mascarell, 2023). Their diet is mainly based on insects (Nentwig, 1987), although there are also records this spider predating other arachnids and even small vertebrates. 

Special thanks to Glauco Cássio de Sousa Oliveira for providing me this full-text article. The article appears in the Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society, No. 159, Spring 2024 - Via ResearchGate

Sousa Oliveira, Glauco & Lara, Jéssica & OIiveira, Sabrina & Souza, Marcos. (2024). Record of the cob-web spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum (C. L. Koch, 1841) (Araneae: Theridiidae) feeding on the scorpion Tityus serrulatus (Lutz & Mello 1922) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in urban area of Brazil. 159. 5-7.