Genetic barcodes for species identification and phylogenetic estimation in ghost spiders (Araneae: Anyphaenidae: Amaurobioidinae).

The identification of spider species presents many challenges, since in most cases the characters used are from genital structures that are only fully developed in the adult stage, hence the identification of immatures is most often not possible. Additionally, these structures usually also present some intra-specific variability, which in some cases makes the identification of closely related species difficult. The genetic barcode technique (DNA barcodes), based on sequencing of the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI ), has proven a useful, complementary tool to overcome these limitations.

Three new genera of arboreal dark sac spiders from southern Africa (Araneae: Trachelidae).

As part of a revision of the Afrotropical species of Trachelas L. Koch, 1872 (Araneae: Trachelidae), we distinguished three new genera of primarily arboreal spiders from southern Africa that are described here: Coronarachne gen. nov.

Switching identities: a revision of the Afrotropical spider genus Carteronius Simon, 1897 (Araneae, Corinnidae), senior synonym of Mandaneta Strand, 1932, with a new genus of the Pronophaea group.

The genus Carteronius Simon, 1897 is transferred from Clubionidae to Corinnidae and recognized as the senior synonym of Mandaneta Strand, 1932, being the oldest available name for the pre-occupied Mandane Karsch, 1880. Upon comparing the respective type specimens, the type species of Carteronius and the type species of Mandaneta were found to represent the same species. Whence the type species Carteronius helluo Simon, 1896, is considered a junior synonym of the type species Mandaneta sudana (Karsch, 1880).

The ground spider genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in southern Africa, including the description of a new genus and seven new species.

The ground spider genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 are recorded from southern Africa for the first time, with the description of five new species: Leptodrassex murphyi sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from Mozambique and South Africa, and L.

A novel approach to determine the surface area of buckspoor spider webs and other irregular-shaped two-dimensional objects.

Arising from the practical need to determine the surface area of the buckspoor spider webs of , an approach for area determination was developed based on image processing. The method rendered results that were considered valid and reliable. Aside from the present application to determine the surface area of a spider web, this approach could potentially be used to accurately determine the area of any two-dimensional shape.

Mimetic accuracy and co-evolution of mimetic traits in ant-mimicking species.

Myrmecomorphy is the most frequent type of Batesian mimicry. Myrmecomorphic species differ in the accuracy with which they resemble ants; however, the hypothesis of the co-evolution of mimetic traits has been rarely tested. Here, we measured dozens of traits of color, shape, size, and behavior, and quantified objectively the resemblance between dozens of arthropod mimics and ants.

The global spread of misinformation on spiders.

In the internet era, the digital architecture that keeps us connected and informed may also amplify the spread of misinformation. This problem is gaining global attention, as evidence accumulates that misinformation may interfere with democratic processes and undermine collective responses to environmental and health crises. In an increasingly polluted information ecosystem, understanding the factors underlying the generation and spread of misinformation is becoming a pressing scientific and societal challenge.

An expert-curated global database of online newspaper articles on spiders and spider bites.

Mass media plays an important role in the construction and circulation of risk perception associated with animals. Widely feared groups such as spiders frequently end up in the spotlight of traditional and social media. We compiled an expert-curated global database on the online newspaper coverage of human-spider encounters over the past ten years (2010-2020).

Sex-specific developmental trajectories in an extremely sexually size dimorphic spider.

Adult body size, development time, and growth rates are components of organismal life histories, which crucially influence fitness and are subject to trade-offs. If selection is sex-specific, male and female developments can eventually lead to different optimal sizes. This can be achieved through developmental plasticity and sex-specific developmental trajectories.

Undergraduate entomology field excursions are a valuable source of biodiversity data: a case for spider (Araneae) bycatches in ecological studies.

As part of an undergraduate Entomology module, field excursions were undertaken to a mixed livestock farm in central South Africa, during March-April 2015, 2016 and 2018-2020. The aim was for groups to determine and compare terrestrial arthropod biodiversity in three strata of three contrasting biotopes, with particular emphasis on insects. To determine the contributions such excursions make to documenting biodiversity of a non-target taxon, the spider (Arachnida: Araneae) data generated by students was compared with the local species richness (LSR) for the area.

Twenty years, eight legs, one concept: describing spider biodiversity in Zootaxa (Arachnida: Araneae).

Zootaxa published more than a thousand papers on Araneae from 2002 to the present, including descriptions of 3,833 new spider species and 177 new genera. Here we summarise the key contributions of Zootaxa to our current knowledge of global spider diversity. We provide a historical account of the researchers that have actively participated as editors, and recognize the more than 1,000 reviewers without whom none of this would have been possible.

Evolutionary pattern of karyotypes and meiosis in pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae): implications for reconstructing chromosome evolution of araneomorph spiders.

Background: Despite progress in genomic analysis of spiders, their chromosome evolution is not satisfactorily understood. Most information on spider chromosomes concerns the most diversified clade, entelegyne araneomorphs. Other clades are far less studied.

Revision and molecular phylogeny of the spider genus Micaria Westring, 1851 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in the Afrotropical Region.

The genus Micaria Westring, 1851 (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) is a group of small (1.85-5 mm) ant-like spiders that can be distinguished from other gnaphosids by their piriform gland spigots that are similar in size to the major ampullate gland spigots. According to the World Spider Catalog, there are 105 species of Micaria in the world, of which only three species are known from the African part of the Afrotropical Region, namely M.

Capobula gen. nov., a new Afrotropical dark sac spider genus related to Orthobula Simon, 1897 (Araneae: Trachelidae).

A new genus of the spider family Trachelidae L. Koch, 1872 from the Afrotropical Region is described. Capobula gen.

Partial revision of the Afrotropical Ballini, with the description of seven new genera (Araneae: Salticidae).

The jumping spider tribe Ballini is reviewed in the Afrotropical Region. The genera Afromarengo Benjamin, 2004 and Goleta Peckham Peckham, 1894 are redefined. In Afromarengo, A.

Two new species of Utivarachna Kishida, 1940 from southern China, with an updated key to the Chinese species (Araneae: Trachelidae).

Two new trachelid spiders were collected from Guangxi, southern China, and are described here as Utivarachna subfabaria sp. nov. (♂, ♀) and U.

High genetic diversity of spider species in a mosaic montane grassland landscape.

Gene flow and genetic variation were examined within and among populations of five of the most common spider species in shrublands of the mountainous Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP), South Africa. These species included three active hunters, Dendryphantes purcelli Peckham & Peckham, 1903 (Salticidae), Pherecydes tuberculatus O.P.

Cytogenetics of entelegyne spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from southern Africa.

Spiders represent one of the most studied arachnid orders. They are particularly intriguing from a cytogenetic point of view, due to their complex and dynamic sex chromosome determination systems. Despite intensive research on this group, cytogenetic data from African spiders are still mostly lacking.

Global Diversification of Anelosimus Spiders Driven by Long-Distance Overwater Dispersal and Neogene Climate Oscillations.

Vicariance and dispersal events, combined with intricate global climatic history, have left an imprint on the spatiotemporal distribution and diversity of many organisms. Anelosimus cobweb spiders (Theridiidae), are organisms ranging in behavior from solitary to highly social, with a cosmopolitan distribution in temperate to tropical areas. Their evolutionary history and the discontinuous distribution of species richness suggest that 1) long-distance overwater dispersal and 2) climate change during the Neogene (23-2.

Clarifying the taxonomic status and distributions of the spider species collected during the Leonhard Schultze expeditions in western and central southern Africa (Arachnida: Araneae).

Purcell (1908) and Simon (1910) described or reported 181 spiders from southern Africa based on the material collected by German zoologist and anthropologist Leonhard Schultze in 1903‒1905. The expedition route passed through several countries/territories that have since changed their boundaries and/or names. The two mentioned papers included 32 localities in three modern countries, aside from broader geographical regions (e.

A revision of the endemic South African long-jawed ground spider genus Drassodella Hewitt, 1916 (Araneae: Gallieniellidae).

The genus Drassodella Hewitt, 1916 is one of four Afrotropical genera of Gallieniellidae, and is presently represented by seven species, all endemic to South Africa. The type material of six of the described species was studied and they are redescribed from both sexes: D. melana Tucker, 1923, D.

Transfer of the Namibian Argistes africanus Simon, 1910 (Araneae: Liocranidae) to Afroceto Lyle amp; Haddad, 2010 (Trachelidae), with a new synonym.

Only a single species of the trachelid spider genus Afroceto Lyle Haddad, 2010 has been recorded from Namibia to date, A. arca Lyle Haddad, 2010. Examination of the holotype of Argistes africanus Simon, 1910 (Liocranidae), a subadult female specimen, indicates that the species is misplaced and is hereby transferred to Afroceto as A.

Insights into the karyotype and genome evolution of haplogyne spiders indicate a polyploid origin of lineage with holokinetic chromosomes.

Spiders are an ancient and extremely diverse animal order. They show a considerable diversity of genome sizes, karyotypes and sex chromosomes, which makes them promising models to analyse the evolution of these traits. Our study is focused on the evolution of the genome and chromosomes in haplogyne spiders with holokinetic chromosomes.