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Sunday, May 25th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||
| 11:30a | [Arachnida • 2024] Vigdisia praesidens, gen. et sp. nov. • A perilous Malagasy triad: A Spider and An Ant compete for Termite Food
ABSTRACT Ants and termites are insect groups that make up most of the insect biomass in tropical ecosystems. Due to their social structure and abundance, they are some of the most bountiful prey available to other invertebrates such as spiders. However, ants and termites possess dangerous defense strategies, thus limiting their accessibility to general predators. Here, we report on an unexpected finding of a three-way predator-prey-kleptoparasite interaction in Madagascar among a termite Nasutitermes sp. (prey), a previously unknown theridiid spider Vigdisia praesidens gen. nov., sp. nov. (predator), and an ant Pheidole spinosa (kleptoparasite). Our field observations suggest that the spiders are able to detect a damaged termite nest from a distance to disperse onto it and prey on its residents. Kleptoparasitic ants also arrive on the scene to steal from the spiders their termite prey. Both the spider and the ant seem to possess some degree of behavioural prey specialisation for Nasutitermes termites. The here described ecological interaction warrants further study to better understand the exploitation of signals by such phylogenetically diverse arthropods. KEYWORDS: Heterospecific competition, opportunistic predation, prey specialisation, kleptoparasitism, alarm signals, stenophagy, spider web
Family Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833. Subfamily Spintharinae Simon, 1894. Vigdisia Agnarsson, Kuntner, Yu & Gregorič, new genus Vigdisia praesidens Agnarsson, Kuntner, Yu & Gregorič, new species Etymology: The genus name, feminine in gender, honors Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, former president of Iceland (1980-1996) and the first democratically elected female pre-sident in the world. Vigdís shares the spider ́s elegance and wits. Matjaž Gregorič, Kuang Ping Yu, Jeremia Ravelojaona, Ingi Agnarsson and Matjaž Kuntner. 2024. A perilous Malagasy triad: A Spider (Vigdisia praesidens, gen. and sp. nov.) and An Ant compete for Termite Food. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2024.2373185 [14 Jul 2024] https://www.newspeciespodcast.net/all-ep | ||||
| 5:04p | [Botany • 2025] Diastema calcicola (Gesneriaceae) • A New lithophytic Herb from southern Ecuador and northern Peru
Abstract Recent field expeditions in southern Ecuador and herbarium research resulted in the discovery of a new species of Diastema (Gesneriaceae). Diastema calcicola J. L. Clark and Moonlight, is described from limestone outcrops in northern Peru and the Cordillera del Cóndor in southern Ecuador. The new species is a lithophytic herb with unbranched shoots and an erect racemose inflorescence. Based on IUCN guidelines, a preliminary conservation assessment as ‘Vulnerable' (VU) is provided for D. calcicola. Keywords: Cordillera del Cóndor, Diastema, Ecuador, Gesneriaceae, Peru, taxonomy
 Diastema calcicola J. L. Clark and Moonlight, John L. Clark and Peter W. Moonlight. 2025. Diastema calcicola (Gesneriaceae), A New lithophytic Herb from southern Ecuador and northern Peru. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/njb.04701 [26 March 2025] |
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