Brogan L Pett

University of Exeter | UoE · College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Two new species of Phyxelididae are described from southern Africa: Xevioso cepfi sp. nov. (♂♀), from mountains in the Niassa Province of northern Mozambique, and X. megcummingae sp. nov. (♂♀), from urban Harare, northern Zimbabwe and the Viphya Mts in Malawi. They represent the northernmost localities of the genus. An identification key, partially...

A new genus and two new species of ant-resembling castianeirine spiders are described from the Neotropics. Grismadox gen. nov. comprises four species: Grismadox baueri sp. nov., and Grismadox mazaxoides (Perger & Duperré, 2021) comb. nov. from Bolivia, and Grismadox karugua sp. nov. (type species) and Grismadox mboitui (Pett, 2021) comb. nov. from...

Three new species of Thiratoscirtus are described from Salonga National Park, D.R. Congo: Thiratoscirtus iyomii (♂♀), T. kalisia (♀) and T. khonvoum (♀). All species were caught on the forest floor during a rapid biodiversity inventory and represent the second report of spider collections from the largest protected tropical rainforest reserve in Af...

Agriculture is expanding rapidly across the tropics. While cultivation can boost socioeconomic conditions and food security, it also threatens native ecosystems. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), which is grown pantropically, is the most productive vegetable oil crop worldwide. The impacts of oil palm cultivation have been studied extensively in Southe...

There is increasing concern into the decline of insect populations, with corresponding calls for conservation action aimed towards threatened species in particular. However, there is a distinct paucity of knowledge surrounding habitat requirements, microhabitat selection and conservation actions that may be undertaken for the vast majority of inver...

A new species of the palpimanid spider genus Scelidocteus Simon, 1907 is described from Salonga National Park, D. R. Congo. The new species is distinguished by the structure of the male and female copulatory organs, both sexes of Scelidocteus mbembai sp. nov. are illustrated and diagnosed against congeners. With this paper, the number of spider spe...

Two new species of orb-weaver spiders of the genus Larinia Simon, 1874 are described from the dry forests of the Mahajanga region, in northwestern Madagascar: Larinia mariaranoensis sp. nov. and L. foko sp. nov. Additionally, Larinia dasia (Roberts, 1983), previously known only from Mahé Island in the Seychelles, is first recorded for the country.

Despite being the most diverse family of spiders, Salticidae (jumping spiders) are poorly studied in Madagascar with only 47 of the total 105 species recorded in the last 100 years. Here, we describe three new species of Plexippini Simon, 1901 from dry forests in Northwestern Madagascar as part of an ongoing biomonitoring programme. This paper incr...

Four new species of Crinopseudoa are described from West Africa. Crinopseudoa kru sp. nov. (male, female) and C. sinoensis sp. nov. (male, female) were collected as part of a new sustainable oil palm project in southern Liberia, C. nimba sp. nov. (male, female) from expeditions to Mount Nimba in Guinea, and C. elisabethae sp. nov. (male) from histo...

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is a tropical crop that produce palm oil: the most traded vegetable oil worldwide. It is principally grown in Southeast Asia, but West Africa – oil palm’s native range – is rapidly becoming a hotspot of cultivation. Oil palm in West Africa is cultivated using both traditional (i.e., by local people) and industrial (i.e....

Pisauridae Simon, 1890 or "nursery web spiders" are a global and heterogenous assemblage of spider genera with diverse lifestyles, containing web builders and webless species, as well as terrestrial and semi-aquatic species, notably "fishing spiders", genus Dolomedes Latreille, 1804. Incomplete, unresolved, or conflicting phylogenies have so far ha...

Three new species of orb-weaver spider are described from Paraguay. Kaira mbywangiae sp. nov. has a remarkable complexity of abdominal humps and hump regions. Two species are described from the Humid Chaco flooded wetland region of Ñeembucú (Eustala davalosae sp. nov. and Kaira mbywangiae sp. nov.), and one from an Atlantic rainforest fragment in e...

Please correct the authorlist (this is the correct list): Jocque Merlijn, Mertens Jan, Jamie Gabriel, Jones Sam, Mbende Menard, Mpongo Iyomi Dieu Merci, Nunes Miguel, Pett Brogan, Hamer Matt, de Haas Marco, Van Roie Martijn van Noppen Michiel

Three species of Myrmarachnini Simon, 1901 (Salticidae) were collected as part of a biodiversity inventory of Salonga National Park, Africa’s largest protected tropical rainforest reserve in D.R. Congo. Myrmarachne salongensis sp.n. (#$) is described as a new species based on the unique genitalic morphology, distinct cheliceral dentition and colour...

Castianeira monai sp. nov. is described based on specimens from south- western Paraguay and southern Bolivia, the new species has a distribution in Humid Chaco and the Beni Savanna ecoregion. The new species is distinct in embolic morphology with two thicker basal coils and four thinner tapering coils to apex, also the proportions of anterior eyes,...

The specimens of Actinopus Perty, 1833 deposited at the Natural History Museum, London are catalogued. Redescriptions of Actinopus crassipes (Keyserling, 1891), A. harti Pocock, 1895, A. liodon (Ausserer, 1875), A. robustus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1892), and A. wallacei F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 are presented. A lectotype and paralectotypes are...

The female of Hersilia moheliensis Foord & Dippenaar-Schoe-mann, 2006 is described for the first time. The species is newly recorded from Madagascar, having previously been known from only a single specimen from the Comoros. Additionally, we provide new records of Hersilia insulana Strand, 1907 in Madagascar.

The holotypes of the three remaining valid species of South American jumping spiders described by H. D. Badcock are re-evaluated, following their recent examination and recuration. Plexippus luteus Badcock, 1932 was described based on an immature specimen which is not identifiable to species level. Prószyński (2017) regarded it as an "unrecognisabl...

Based on male specimens, two new sympatric species of Actinopus Perty, 1833 from Paraguay: Actinopus tetymapyta sp. nov. and Actinopus tasneemae sp. nov. are described. The remarkable discovery of two species occurring sympatrically in the humid Chaco ecoregion of Paraguay demonstrates the species richness of the genus.

A new species of ant-resembling sac spider of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Grismadox elsneri sp. nov., is described from the Sub-Andean area of the Bolivian orocline. The species was collected from savanna grass along the edges of the Chiquitano forest and is a putative mimic of the carpenter ants Camponotus cf. crassus or C. cf. blandus.

Patelloceto Lyle & Haddad, 2010 is a small genus of dark sac spiders from the Afrotropical region, diagnosed by very distinct morphology of the genitalia, males with femoral, patellar, and tibial apophyses, females with a broad membranous median septum separating the small lateral spermathecae, and long, oblique, lateral epigynal hoods flanking cop...

A new ant-like spider species of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Mazax akephaloi sp. nov., representing the second species of Mazax recorded from South America, is described from the Bolivian orocline and the Paraguayan Chaco region. The new species superficially resembles Mazax ramirezi Rubio & Danişman, 2014, but can be distinguished from this spec...

We report on three new country records of tiger beetles in Paraguay and an additional 18 new departmental records based on specimens in Paraguayan collections. We also document substantial increases to the knowledge on distributions of numerous species in the country through additional specimen records. The first tiger beetle records from south-wes...

A new species of the castianeirine spider genus Copa Simon, 1885, is described from northwestern Mahamavo region in Madagascar. Copa sakalava sp. nov. (♂♀) is illustrated and diagnosed against continental Afrotropical congeners.

Two Neotropical species of the subfamily Castianeirinae are treated herein. Castianeira spinipalpis Mello-Leitão, 1945 was described from a single female specimen; we provide a redescription of the female and the male is described for the first time. The species is newly recorded from Paraguay and Bolivia. Also, Myrmecotypus rubioi sp. nov. is desc...

The castianeirine spider genus Myrmecotypus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 is reported from Paraguay for the first time, with the description of a new species, Myrmecotypus mboitui sp. nov. (♂♀) from the Ñeembucú Wetlands Complex of southwestern Paraguay. The species belongs to a small group of Myrmecotypus with elongated and constricted abdomens. Illu...

The female of Otiothops inflatus Platnick, 1975 is described for the first time. The species is rediagnosed based on new material from Paraguay. A possible synonymy, with O. inflatus having priority over O. payak Grismado & Ramírez 2002, is discussed .

Knowledge on spiders in Paraguay is abysmal, even in Salticidae, the most diverse spider family. Prior to this study, 40 species were registered for Paraguay, which may be underestimating the true species diversity in the country by five times or more. This study provides a first baseline for jumping spiders in Paraguay from evaluation of three sal...

Riggia are freshwater cymothoids known to parasitize fish throughout South America. In Brazil, a male R. cryptocularis was previously found parasitizing the characid Odontostilbe paraguayensis, which was thought to be an accidental host given its small size and known Riggia reproductive requirements. Here, 759 O. paraguayensis and O. pequira specim...

We provide the first confirmed record of the zodariid genus Cybaeodamus Mello-Leitão 1938 in Paraguay from both males and females of C. meridionalis Lise, Ott & Rodrigues, 2009. We illustrate the species and provide an updated map of its distribution in South America. Due to a distinct lack of sampling for spiders in Paraguay, this paper doubles th...

Sixteen species of Eburiini are recorded from the colección Invertebrados Para La Tierra Entomología, IBIS and MNHNP collections in Paraguay, including the description of Eburodacrys mcgavini nov. sp. from a specimen collected in Presidente Hayes department. Four other species are new records from Paraguay and eight are new departmental records in...

The first confirmed locality record for Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900 (Salticidae: Scopocirini) is reported from Paraguay, from the southwestern Ñeembucú department. Commentary is provided on the significance of the specimen, and an updated map of the distribution of this species in South America is provided.

Microendemic species are of great conservation concern due to their vulnerability to stochastic events and environmental change. Therefore, understanding the basic ecology of such organisms is integral to future efforts to conserve them. Here, we present the first ecological study of the only known population of Ocyale ghost Jocque & Jocqué 2017-th...

Morphological abnormalities in anurans are known to be globally widespread. Here, we report on six individual anuran morphological abnormalities from four Paraguayan departments. We briefly discuss potential causal agents and highlight the need for further research into this topic in Paraguay.