During a forensic entomological study conducted in a palm oil plantation in Tg.Sepat, Selangor in September 2007, a spider (Arachnida), Oxyopes sp. (Oxyopidae) was found to predate on a calliphorid fly (Chrysomya rufifacies). The female spider laid a silk thread, or "drag line", behind it as it moved. This spider bites its prey by using a pairs of chelicerae, and injecting venom into the fly. The fly was moving its wing trying to escape, however, it succumbed to the deadly bite.
Kajian kehadiran dan jenis trikom telah dijalankan ke atas lima spesies Neesia daripada famili Bombacaceae. Hasil menunjukkan bahawa kehadiran trikom jenis dendritik, berkelenjar, ringkas unisel, peltat sisik dan stelat dalam genus Neesia. Kehadiran trikom stelat boleh dijadikan ciri diagnosis spesies Neesia malayana, trikom peltat sisik bagi Neesia altissima dan trikom ringkas unisel bagi Neesia piluliflora. Trikom berkelenjar merupakan ciri sepunya dalam semua spesies yang dikaji. Sementara kehadiran trikom dendritik tidak mempunyai nilai taksonomi yang begitu signifikan tetapi masih boleh digunakan untuk membezakan spesies. Kesimpulannya hasil kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa kehadiran trikom pada lamina daun Neesia mempunyai nilai taksonomi terutamanya di peringkat spesies.
This study was carried out in an oil palm plantation in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor in September 2007 by using pigs (Sus scrofa L.) as a carcass model in a forensic entomological research. A 2.5 month old pig (10 kg) which died naturally was hanged on a palm tree to observe the insect succession and decomposition stages. Observation was made for 16 days; one afternoon visit per day and all climatological data were recorded. On the first day, adult muscids of Ophyra spinigera Stein and Musca domestica L. were observed, however no blowfly (Calliphoridae) activities were sighted. Fly eggs wer seen on the second day on both sides of the face, inside nostrils and genitourinary area. Adults of Chrysomya megacephala Fabricius and Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart) congregated on the head and anal areas. Adult flies and maggots (first and second instars) were observed in the mouth and anus of the pig on the third day of hanging. Adult yellow jackets (Vespidae) and spiders (Arachnida) were found preying on some adult flies. Rove beetles (Staphilinidae) were also discovered on the pig carcass. Only a few ants (Formicidae) were sighted. Maggot masses were found in eye orbits, neck, and genital organs on the fourth day of hanging and some maggots were seen falling down to the ground. The dominant maggot species identified on this day was Ch. megacephala. On the sixth day, the head, neck, and anus were in the stage of active decay. Maggots of Ch. rufifacies were abundant on the seventh day and was the dominant species. On day eight the carcass fell onto the ground. Chrysomya rufifacies maggots were found underneath the pig carcass and they started to migrate and pupated under the soil. On the tenth day, third instar Op. spinigera maggots were found under the carcass. The rate of carcass decomposition slowed down and became stable from tenth day onwards to the sixteenth day of decomposition. Thereafter, most of the remaining parts of the body remained dried and devoid of any insects.
The present paper provides a taxonomic revision of the genus Fecenia with emphasis on the characteristics of the pre-epigynes which are integrated for the first time into an identification key. As a result, one species is revalidated, Fecenia protensa Thorell, 1891, stat. n., and two new junior synonyms for Fecenia protensa are recognised: Fecenia sumatrana Kulczyński, 1908, syn. n. and Fecenia nicobarensis (Tikader, 1977), syn. n. New records are reported: Fecenia ochracea (Doleschall, 1859)from Malaysian Borneo, Fecenia macilenta (Simon, 1885) from Sumatra, Indonesia, Fecenia protensa from Thailand and Malaysia, Fecenia travancoria Pocock, 1899 from Sri Lanka and Thailand, and Fecenia cylindrata Thorell, 1895 from Thailand and Laos. Additional information on the biology of Fecenia is provided and the validity of characters for identifying Fecenia species is discussed.
A new species in the genus Aristolochia (Aristolochiaceae), Aristolochia vallisicola T.L.Yao, from Peninsular Malaysia is described and illustrated. Among all Peninsular Malaysian Aristolochia,itis the only species with a pinnately veined lamina and a disc-liked perianth limb. A distribution map is provided and its conservation status is assessed as Least Concern.
Paracyrba wanlessi is a southeast Asian jumping spider (Salticidae) that lives in the hollow internodes of fallen bamboo and preys on the larvae, pupae and adults of mosquitoes. In contrast to Evarcha culicivora, an East African salticid that is also known for actively targeting mosquitoes as preferred prey, there was no evidence of P. wanlessi choosing mosquitoes on the basis of species, sex or diet. However, our findings show that P. wanlessi chooses mosquitoes significantly more often than a variety of other prey types, regardless of whether the prey are in or away from water, and regardless of whether the mosquitoes are adults or juveniles. Moreover, a preference for mosquito larvae, pupae and adults is expressed regardless of whether test spiders are maintained on a diet of terrestrial or aquatic prey and regardless of whether the diet includes or excludes mosquitoes. Congruence of an environmental factor (in water versus away from water) with prey type (aquatic versus terrestrial mosquitoes) appeared to be important and yet, even when the prey were in the incongruent environment, P. wanlessi continued to choose mosquitoes more often than other prey.
A new species Uroballus koponeni sp. n. (♀) from Malaysia (Borneo) is diagnosed, illustrated and described. The genus is unusual for jumping spiders in having extremely long spinnerets.
Matched MeSH terms: Spiders/anatomy & histology; Spiders/classification*; Spiders/growth & development
Two new species of Pharta, P. sudmannorum sp. nov. (♂♀, Borneo) and P. koponeni sp. nov. (♂, Thailand) are described. Furthermore, Ibana senagang gen. nov. & sp. nov. from Malaysia is described based on its exceptional palp, which has a reduced, movable conductor and thick-long spines on the distal, ventral surface of the tibia, reminiscent of Epidius Thorell, 1877.
Matched MeSH terms: Spiders/anatomy & histology; Spiders/classification*; Spiders/growth & development
Recent linyphiid collections from Laos as well as some additional specimens from Thailand and West Malaysia are examined. Six species and two genera are described as new to science: Bathyphantes paracymbialis n. sp., Nematogmus asiaticus n. sp., Theoa hamata n. sp.; Asiagone n. gen. is erected for Asiagone signifera n. sp. (type species) and A. perforata n. sp.; Laogone n. gen. is established for Laogone cephala n. sp. The following new synonyms are proposed: Gorbothorax Tanasevitch, 1998 n. syn. = Nasoona Locket, 1982; Paranasoona Heimer, 1984 n. syn. and Millplophrys Platnick, 1998 n. syn. = Atypena Simon, 1894; Gorbothorax ungibbus Tanasevitch, 1998 n. syn. = Oedothorax asocialis Wunderlich, 1974; Hylyphantes birmanicus (Thorell, 1895) n. syn. = H. graminicola (Sundevall, 1830). The following new combinations are proposed: Atypena cirrifrons (Heimer, 1984) n. comb. ex from Paranasoona; A. pallida (Millidge, 1995) and A. crocatoa (Millidge, 1995) both n. comb. ex Millplophrys; Nasoona asocialis (Wunderlich, 1974) n. comb. ex Oedothorax Bertkau, 1883; N. asocialis (Wunderlich, 1974), N. comata (Tanasevitch, 1998), N. conica (Tanasevitch, 1998), N. setifera (Tanasevitch, 1998) and N. wunderlichi (Brignoli, 1983), all n. comb. ex Gorbothorax. Eight linyphiid species are newly recorded from Laos: A. cirrifrons (Heimer, 1984), Bathyphantes floralis Tu & Li, 2006, Hylyphantes graminicola (Sundevall, 1830), Nasoona asocialis, N. crucifera (Thorell, 1895), Nasoonaria sinensis Wunderlich & Song, 1995, Neriene birmanica (Thorell, 1887), and N. oxycera Tu & Li, 2006. The linyphiid spider fauna of Laos currently contains 15 species and is unusually highly specific. All species, except the Palearctic H. graminicola, are probably represented by Southeastern Asian or Oriental autochthons.
Seven new Psechrus species are described from South East Asia: P. arietinus sp. nov.(♂♀, Vietnam), P. insulanus sp. nov.(♂, Thailand), P. ampullaceus sp. nov.(♂♀, Vietnam), P. omistes sp. nov.(♂, Indonesia, Sumatra), P. quasillus sp. nov.(♂♀, Malaysia, Borneo), P. huberi sp. nov.(♀, Philippines), and P. wade sp. nov.(♂, Philippines). For the following species, new records are listed and intraspecific variation is discussed and illustrated: P. libelti Kulczyński, 1908, P. norops Bayer, 2012, P. rani Wang & Yin, 2001, P. khammouan Jäger, 2007, P. luangprabang Jäger, 2007, P. jaegeri Bayer, 2012, P. obtectus Bayer, 2012, P. kenting Yoshida, 2009 and P. crepido Bayer, 2012, and Fecenia protensa Thorell, 1891. The latter species is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. P. norops, P. libelti and an unidentified Psechrus species from Baluno, Mindanao are for the first time characterised and illustrated by their pre-epigynes and pre-vulvae.
A new genus and species of hisponine jumping spider from Sarawak, Jerzego corticicola Maddison sp. nov. are described, representing one of the few hisponine jumping spiders known from Asia, and the only whose male is known. Although similar to the primarily-Madagascan genus Hispo in having an elongate and flat body, sequences of 28s and 16sND1 genes indicate that Jerzego is most closely related to Massagris and Tomomingi, a result consistent with morphology. Females of Jerzego and other genera of Hisponinae were found to have an unusual double copulatory duct, which appears to be a synapomorphy of the subfamily. Two species are transferred from Hispo, Jerzego bipartitus (Simon) comb. nov. and Jerzego alboguttatus (Simon) comb. nov. Diagnostic illustrations and photographs of living spiders are provided.
Six new species of marpissoid jumping spiders from Sarawak, Borneo, are described in the new genus Tisaniba Zhang & Maddison. They are the type species, T. mulu Zhang & Maddison sp. nov., as well as the species T. bijibijan Zhang & Maddison sp. nov., T. dik Zhang & Maddison sp. nov., T. kubah Zhang & Maddison sp. nov., T. selan Zhang & Maddison sp. nov., and T. selasi Zhang & Maddison sp. nov. The spiders are small and brown to black, living in leaf litter in the tropical forest. Phylogenetic analyses based on 28s and 16sND1 genes indicate that they are a distinctive group within the marpissoids. Diagnostic illustrations and photographs of living spiders are provided for all species.
Matched MeSH terms: Spiders/anatomy & histology; Spiders/classification*; Spiders/growth & development
This article is the first formal record of the genus Mallinella Strand, 1906 in Brunei Darussalam. Four Mallinella species are documented. Mallinella merimbunenis sp. nov., M. myrmecophaga sp. nov., and M. platyrhyncha sp. nov. are newly described. The females of M. bigemina Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop, 2012 are here recorded from Brunei for the first time. The latter species was previously known only from an evergreen hill forest at 2,000 m elevation at Mt. Kinabalu of Kinabalu Park in Sabah.
The south-east Asian genus Eupoa is redescribed and diagnosed. Seven new species are diagnosed, described and illustrated: E. daklak sp. n. (♀) from Viet-Nam; E. lehtineni sp. n. (♂♀) from India, Thailand and Viet-Nam; E. lobli sp. n. (♂) from Malaysia; E. pappi sp. n. (♂) from Thailand; E. pulchella sp. n.(♂) from Thailand; E. schwendingeri sp. n. (♂♀) from Thailand; and E. thailandica sp. n. (♂♀) from Thailand. Eupoa prima Żabka, 1985 and E. yunnanensis Peng & Kim, 1997 are redescribed and illustrated on the basis of type and/or newly collected materials. The female of E. yunnanensis Peng & Kim, 1997 is found and described for the first time.
Five new Althepus species and one new Psiloderces species of the family Ochyroceratidae are described from Southeast Asia: Althepus erectus spec. nov. (male) and A. nophaseudi spec. nov. (male, female) from Laos, A. flabellaris spec. nov. (male, female) from Thailand, A. reduncus spec. nov. (male) from Myanmar, A. spiralis spec. nov. (male) from Malaysia, and Psiloderces dicellocerus spec. nov. (male) from Indonesia. Primary types are deposited in the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany (SMF).
Four new species belonging to four genera of the subfamily Pholcinae are reported from Southeast Asia: Belisana protumida spec. nov. (male, female), Khorata bayeri spec. nov. (male), Pholcus schawalleri spec. nov. (male), and Uthina khaosokensis spec. nov. (male).
The seasonal variation of spider assemblages in botanical garden was investigated. The spiders were manually collected by diurnal and nocturnal session between two seasons. A total of 19 families from 65 genera and 96 species were recorded. Richness-estimator indicates the inventory were 67% complete within the botanical garden. The capture rate for web-weavers were higher compared with non-web weavers. The comparison value showed the species composition and abundance were similar between seasons. Spider abundance was not affected between wet and dry season in tropical countries.
A comprehensive transcriptome analysis of an expressed sequence tag (EST) database of the spider Dolomedes fimbriatus venom glands using single-residue distribution analysis (SRDA) identified 7,169 unique sequences. Mature chains of 163 different toxin-like polypeptides were predicted on the basis of well-established methodology. The number of protein precursors of these polypeptides was appreciably numerous than the number of mature polypeptides. A total of 451 different polypeptide precursors, translated from 795 unique nucleotide sequences, were deduced. A homology search divided the 163 mature polypeptide sequences into 16 superfamilies and 19 singletons. The number of mature toxins in a superfamily ranged from 2 to 49, whereas the diversity of the original nucleotide sequences was greater (2-261 variants). We observed a predominance of inhibitor cysteine knot toxin-like polypeptides among the cysteine-containing structures in the analyzed transcriptome bank. Uncommon spatial folds were also found.
Living fossils are lineages that have retained plesiomorphic traits through long time periods. It is expected that such lineages have both originated and diversified long ago. Such expectations have recently been challenged in some textbook examples of living fossils, notably in extant cycads and coelacanths. Using a phylogenetic approach, we tested the patterns of the origin and diversification of liphistiid spiders, a clade of spiders considered to be living fossils due to their retention of arachnid plesiomorphies and their exclusive grouping in Mesothelae, an ancient clade sister to all modern spiders. Facilitated by original sampling throughout their Asian range, we here provide the phylogenetic framework necessary for reconstructing liphistiid biogeographic history. All phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of Liphistiidae and of eight genera. As the fossil evidence supports a Carboniferous Euramerican origin of Mesothelae, our dating analyses postulate a long eastward over-land dispersal towards the Asian origin of Liphistiidae during the Palaeogene (39-58 Ma). Contrary to expectations, diversification within extant liphistiid genera is relatively recent, in the Neogene and Late Palaeogene (4-24 Ma). While no over-water dispersal events are needed to explain their evolutionary history, the history of liphistiid spiders has the potential to play prominently in vicariant biogeographic studies.