First record of the interaction between the arthropod-pathogenic fungus Gibellula and a new species of harvestman Auranus (Stygnidae) narrowly endemic to the Brazilian rain forest.

Harvestmen are one of the largest groups of arachnids with more than 6,500 species distributed in 1,500 genera and 50 families. However, the interactions between harvestmen and arthropod-pathogenic fungi have rarely been studied. Certain previous studies report that fungal attack represents one of the most important factors for the mortality of harvestmen, but the fungus has rarely been identified, and most of the important information about the fungus-host interactions remains unrecorded. In the present study, we have described the new species Auranus quilombola sp. nov. and reported its interactions with the arthropod-pathogenic fungus Gibellula sp. Auranus quilombola sp. nov. belongs to the family Stygnidae, and it is endemic to the humid mountain forests of Cear state, Brazil in an area of endemism known as Brejos Cearenses. The species is related to five other species of Auranus, all of which have been recorded from the Amazon rainforest. A taxonomic description of this new species and its biogeographic implications have also been discussed in this paper.

Notes on the "Pinocchio-cobweb-spider" Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891) from southeastern of Brazil (Theridiidae, Pholcommatinae).

Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891), is redescribed on the basis of SEM data after more than fifty years after its last records. We also provide information on its natural history. SEM images for the proboscis, ventral plates of abdomen and male palp and epigynal plate are provided. Data on natural history using specimens collected in the Serra do Japi, from the state of São Paulo were analyzed and presented for the first time for this little-known species of Pholcommatinae theridiid spider.

Notes on the "Pinocchio-cobweb-spider" Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891) from southeastern of Brazil (Theridiidae, Pholcommatinae)

Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891), is redescribed on the basis of SEM data after more than fifty years after its last records. We also provide information on its natural history. SEM images for the proboscis, ventral plates of abdomen and male palp and epigynal plate are provided. Data on natural history using specimens collected in the Serra do Japi, from the state of São Paulo were analyzed and presented for the first time for this little-known species of Pholcommatinae theridiid spider.

Notes on the "Pinocchio-cobweb-spider" Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891) from southeastern of Brazil (Theridiidae, Pholcommatinae)

Craspedisia cornuta (Keyserling, 1891), is redescribed on the basis of SEM data after more than fifty years after its last records. We also provide information on its natural history. SEM images for the proboscis, ventral plates of abdomen and male palp and epigynal plate are provided. Data on natural history using specimens collected in the Serra do Japi, from the state of São Paulo were analyzed and presented for the first time for this little-known species of Pholcommatinae theridiid spider.

Conura baturitei sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): a hyperparasitoid of spiders through Zatypota riverai (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae).

Conura, the largest genus of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), is mostly distributed in the New World where 295 of the 301 described species occur. Chalcididae are in some cases hyperparasitoids of insects. In this study, we report the unusual association of the hyperparasitoid Conura baturitei sp. nov. with spider species of the genus Theridion Walckenaer (Theridiidae) through Zatypota riverai Gauld (Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae, Polysphincta genus-group), a primary ectoparasitoid of spiders. The new species is described and illustrated, and the host-parasitoid-hyperparasitoid interaction is discussed.

Two new species of Zatypota (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) sharing the same host spider in Northeast Brazil.

 Some polysphinctine wasps of the genus Zatypota complete their life cycles upon theridiid host spiders. The host range of these wasps is usually species-specific, although in some less common associations more than one wasp species interacts with the same host spider. Here we describe and illustrate the polysphinctine wasps Zatypota baezae sp. n. and Zatypota mulunguensis sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), both koinobiont ectoparasitoids of the spider Anelosimus baeza (Theridiidae). The two parasitoid wasps show the same development time (12 days) which was longer when compared with other parasitoid wasps Z. anomala Holmgren and Z. riverai Gauld (nine days). As described for other species of Zatypota and Hymenoepimecis, the second larval instar remains attached to the spider by the remains of the chorion and also by a rigid brownish-semitransparent membrane called a saddle.

Niche partitioning and coexistence of two spiders of the genus Peucetia (Araneae, Oxyopidae) inhabiting Trichogoniopsis adenantha plants (Asterales, Asteraceae).

Niche theory suggests that the coexistence of ecologically similar species in the same site requires some form of resource partitioning that reduces or avoids interspecific competition. Here, from July 2013 to December 2015, we investigated spatial niche differentiation at three different scales of two sympatric congeneric spiders, Peucetia rubrolineata and P. flava, along an altitudinal gradient in shaded and open areas in an Atlantic forest in Serra do Japi, SP, Brazil. These spiders are peculiar in that they present an exclusive association with the plant Trichogoniopsis adenantha (Asteraceae). In theory, the coexistence of two Peucetia species could be explained by: (1) microhabitat segregation with individuals from different species occupying different parts of the same plants; (2) mesohabitat segregation with different species using plant in different environments; (3) macrohabitat segregation, where different species would not co-occur along the altitudinal gradient. With respect to micro-habitat use, in both species, different instars used different plant parts, while the same instars of both species used the same type of substrate. However, the two Peucetia species segregated by meso-habitat type, with P. rubrolineata preferring T. adenantha plants in shaded areas and P. flava preferring those in open areas. Our results support the hypothesis of niche partitioning begetting diversity, and highlight the importance of analyzing habitat use at multiple scales to understand mechanisms related to coexistence.

First record of Epipompilus excelsus (Bradley, 1944) (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) as a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of Ariadna mollis (Holmberg, 1876) (Araneae, Segestriidae)

Epipompilus Kohl comprises 52 species of wasps that are parasitoids of spiders; 16 species occur in the Neotropical region and 36 species occur in the Australian region. The biological knowledge of this genus is limited and its interactions and host spiders are still incipient. Here, we report some behavioural and biological characteristics of E. excelsus, a parasitoid of the tube-dwelling spider Ariadna mollis. We observed an E. excelsus female attacking an adult female of A. mollis in São Paulo, Brazil. We photographed daily the larval development of the wasp, from the egg stage to adult emergence. The entire developmental cycle of the wasp took 24 days. This period was shorter than the developmental periods of wasps belonging to other genera of Pompilidae. Although all species within Pompilidae use spiders as host, they present great behavioural diversity, characterized by different ethological sequences. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the Neotropical species of Epipompilus exhibit biological characteristics similar to the Australian species, acting as a koinobiont ectoparasitoid, but displays differences in larval morphology. Studies on other species could elucidate the extent of these differences and similarities, contributing to our understanding of the evolutionary history of Epipompilus, and consequently of Pompilidae.

First record of Epipompilus excelsus (Bradley, 1944) (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae) as a koinobiont ectoparasitoid of Ariadna mollis (Holmberg, 1876) (Araneae, Segestriidae)

Epipompilus Kohl comprises 52 species of wasps that are parasitoids of spiders; 16 species occur in the Neotropical region and 36 species occur in the Australian region. The biological knowledge of this genus is limited and its interactions and host spiders are still incipient. Here, we report some behavioural and biological characteristics of E. excelsus, a parasitoid of the tube-dwelling spider Ariadna mollis. We observed an E. excelsus female attacking an adult female of A. mollis in São Paulo, Brazil. We photographed daily the larval development of the wasp, from the egg stage to adult emergence. The entire developmental cycle of the wasp took 24 days. This period was shorter than the developmental periods of wasps belonging to other genera of Pompilidae. Although all species within Pompilidae use spiders as host, they present great behavioural diversity, characterized by different ethological sequences. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the Neotropical species of Epipompilus exhibit biological characteristics similar to the Australian species, acting as a koinobiont ectoparasitoid, but displays differences in larval morphology. Studies on other species could elucidate the extent of these differences and similarities, contributing to our understanding of the evolutionary history of Epipompilus, and consequently of Pompilidae.

The wasp Flacopimpla varelae Gauld (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae), parasitoid of the spider Achaearanea tingo Levi (Theridiidae: Theridiinae), with description of the male wasp.

Parasitoid organisms can manipulate the morphology, physiology and/or behavior of their hosts to increase their own survival (Moore 2002; Korenko et al. 2015a). Wasps of the Polysphincta genus-group sensu Gauld Dubois, 2006 (hereafter polysphinctine wasps) are well known to act exclusively as koinobiont ectoparasitoids of spiders (Gauld Dubois 2006). The host range of these wasps is remarkably narrow and often species-specific; individuals of some polysphinctine genera (e.g. Hymenoepimecis, Acrotaphus) usually attack orb-weaver spiders (Pádua et al. 2016), whereas other are specialized on spiders that construct three-dimensional webs. Fritzén (2014), for example, discussed that Oxyrrhexis Föerster, 1869, Zatypota Föerster, 1869 and Flacopimpla Gauld, 1991 are specialized on theridiid hosts, the last two mainly or exclusively on spiders of the subfamily Theridiinae.