Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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ZooKeys @zookeys.pensoft.net · 15d

Our journal congratulates @ortizmovliavc.bsky.social l for her award at @35theca2025.bsky.social !

Her work, “Winter warming increases metabolic stress and mortality in an overwintering spider,” got her a free publication in a @pensoft.net journal.

zookeys.pensoft.net/news/993

PhD student Carolina Ortiz Movliav wins Best Oral Presentation at European Congress of Arachnology

Carolina Ortiz Movliav, a PhD student at the University of Greifswald, has won the Best Oral Presentation Award at the 35th European Congress of Arachnology for her work “Winter warming inc...

zookeys.pensoft.net

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Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 14d

Okay, I warned you yesterday but SPIDER POST SPIDER POST SPIDER POST. Look. Spiders are great! They're our friends. They do good work out there and in our houses. I love spiders and how can you not love THIS spider, who is both a work of art *and* wildly successful at this game of hide-and-seek?

I DON'T SEE ANY SPIDER HERE DO YOU SEE A SPIDER HERE GOSH I SURE HOPE THAT ANYBUGGY WHO WANTS TO COME VISIT THIS FLOWER DOESN'T SEE A SPIDER HERE okay fine there's a spider here. This landscape-oriented photo is a black-eyed susan except tucked against the middle of the flower is a perfectly blended-in crab spider. A white-banded crab spider, maybe? Even though there's no white band -- this spider is yellow as the flower's pedals, with reddish Rorshach test ink blots on its plump crabby body that also blends into the center of the flower. It's really something else. You can barely see it. Spiders are so cool. They're great. I am admittedly glad they're not human-sized, though, though I guess that's true of all bugs, even the cute ones. Photo by me, Chuck Wendig

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 15d

In a new publication, we focused on the little-known African spider Megaraneus gabonensis, in which females are 4x larger than males.

We provide an overdue taxonomic description, phylogenetic placement, and reconstruct the evolution of sexual size dimorphism.

www.ezlab.si/post/taxonom...

Taxonomy, phylogeny, and size evolution in Megaraneus

Many spider species show large differences in size between males and females, but biologists still do not fully understand how or why this evolves. In this study we focused on the systematics and evol...

www.ezlab.si

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 21d

In a new review, we dig deep into possible explanations of the evolution of female cannibalism in spiders and various male strategies to mitigate it.
www.ezlab.si/post/female-...

Female sexual cannibalism and male reproductive strategies

Sexual cannibalism — the consumption of one mating partner by the other before, during, or after copulation — is documented across various invertebrate groups, particularly arachnids, some insects suc...

www.ezlab.si

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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 23d

Spiders have personalities—and in Pisaura mirabilis, opposites might attract: adventurous males and cautious females mate longer, revealing hidden personality-driven patterns in romance. Lead by @cristinatuni.bsky.social Read more here: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 21d

Why do female spiders eat their mates, and how do males fight back? 🕷️ Our new review unpacks the evolutionary dynamics of sexual cannibalism and the astonishing male strategies it has shaped — from nuptial gifts to remote copulation. Open access in Integrative Zoology 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1749...

Unravelling Evolutionary Dynamics of Female Sexual Cannibalism and Male Reproductive Strategies in Spiders

Sexual cannibalism (SC), where one mating partner consumes the other in the context of mating, is especially prevalent among spiders. However, the evolution of SC in spiders is still not fully unders...

doi.org

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Simona Kralj Fišer @simonakraljfiser.bsky.social · 29d

We - EZ lab
@ezlab.bsky.social
(past/current) - presented our latest research at the European congress of arachnology
@35theca2025.bsky.social
.
@matjazgregoric.bsky.social

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 22d

New research on spider personalities, led by Cristina Tuni. In Pisaura mirabilis, opposites might attract: adventurous males and cautious females mate longer, revealing hidden personality-driven patterns in "romance".

Read more here:
www.ezlab.si/post/in-pisa...

In Pisaura mirabilis, opposites might attract

Animal personalities - consistent behavioral tendencies - can play an important role in mating decisions. This study tests the idea that pairings of spiders of the nuptial feeding species Pisaura mira...

www.ezlab.si

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 29d

Amazing congress! At EZlab, we're proud that 5 current/past members attended. :)

35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · 29d

It was an absolute joy sharing this amazing web of brilliant people here in Zadar. Thank you all for coming and making it so special! 🕷️❤️

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35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Sep 2

Our plenary talk today: Unraveling Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders: Current Insights and Emerging Frontiers by Simona Kralj - Fišer

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35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Sep 1

Today we covered themes related to systematics & phylogenetics, evolutinary biology & genomics, and faunistics & distribution.

From Nemesiidae, Salticidae and Theridiidae to scorpions and pseudoscorpions: our lecturers gave their best and gave us insight into their research.

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · Sep 2

EZ's Simona with an excellent plenary talk!

35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Sep 2

Our plenary talk today: Unraveling Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders: Current Insights and Emerging Frontiers by Simona Kralj - Fišer

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35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Sep 2

Spiky or smooth: How should widow spiders construct their egg sacs? By Valeria Arabesky

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35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Aug 27

Our amazing sponsors are the real MVPs!

• @pensoft.net : cutting-edge biodiversity publishing
• @peerj.bsky.social : high-quality peer review in biology & health

Thanks for making this congress possible!

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Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · Aug 18

🕷️#Arachnews alert! 🦂
New Foelix (the definitive reference for general spider biology, a must-have for every arachnologist & arachnophile) just dropped.

Now called Spider Biology, this is an completely rewritten & updated version of the Biology of Spiders (2011).
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Spider Biology

This attractive book covers all aspects of spider biology and will appeal to general readers interested in spiders as well as specialists (arachnologists).

link.springer.com

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Tamás Szűts @tszuts.bsky.social · Aug 5

So happy to have this published: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

Persian treasures: integrative taxonomy reveals high species’ diversity of ladybird spiders (Araneae: Eresidae: Eresus)

Abstract. The genus Eresus Walckenaer, 1805 includes some of the world’s most charismatic spiders; however, its taxonomy requires considerable improvement.

academic.oup.com

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Andi Fischer @andifischer10.bsky.social · Jul 31

🎓 #PhD in Animal Metabolomics & Ecology @unigreifswald🇩🇪
Sexual and non-sexual communication in a widow spider 🕷️⚗️
DFG-funded | 3 years | behavioral ecology & chemical ecology
Details: bit.ly/widow-phd
Apply by Sept 24, start in February 2026
#AcademicSky #pleaserepost

Chemical Ecology of Widow Spiders

We are hiring for a funded PhD positionapply here Untangling pheromonal communication between and within the sexes of widow spiders Our group is undertaking a comprehensive exploration of the chemi…

bit.ly

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ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social · Jun 28

The Local Organizing Commitee welcomes behavioral ecologists from across the world and of all career stages to enjoy a five-day meeting rich in top-notch science and ample networking opportunities in Turin (Italy), 20-24 July 2026.

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · Jul 9

a little late for pride month, but we'll forgive that for a gynandromorph spider! 🕷️🌈🥰

iNaturalist @inaturalist.bsky.social · Jul 7

Goldenrod Crab Spiders (Misumena vatia) are sexually dimorphic in size & color. The spider here is one of a few iNat observations of the species that shows both variations of dimorphism!

📷 cryokinesis on iNaturalist
📍 Canada
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A spider that's half pale-yellow and half dark-brown perches on a leaf. It has a large, pale-yellow thorax.

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Shakira @shakiguani.bsky.social · Jul 9

Our arachno-colleague, Dr. Peter Jaeger, has the ambitious goal of running an inclusive and low-budget scientific conference: the Asian Conference of Arachnology (ACA) 2025.

All donations will cover travel and conference expenses for students and ECR from low-income regions in Asia.
#arachnology

Donate to Scientific Conference in Laos, organized by Peter Jaeger

Help Empower the Next Generation of Spider Scientists in Asia! ️ We are raising funds to… Peter Jaeger needs your support for Scientific Conference in Laos

www.gofundme.com

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EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · Jun 11

Interested in arachnid silk structures? Read this editorial by our @matjazgregoric.bsky.social, @dinrao.bsky.social, and André Walter, and see what articles appear in the new research topic at Frontiers in Arachnid Science.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/ara...

Frontiers | Editorial: Function and diversity of arachnid silk structures

Silk has independently evolved multiple times among arthropods, but only spiders and spider mites use silk throughout all stages and aspects of their lives (...

www.frontiersin.org

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35th European Congress of Arachnology @35theca2025.bsky.social · Jun 10

Arachnid of the week is Euscorpius biokovensis, 2020

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The Kid Should See This @tksst.bsky.social · May 27

🪲✈️ Slow-motion footage of 23 flying #insects by @dradriansmith.bsky.social explains the wide variety of flight mechanics out there. From beetles to stoneflies, each species developed different strategies.

👉 Learn more: zurl.co/OclZV

Two insects are shown in flight against a purple background with yellow text reading "INSECT FLIGHT" and black text reading "23 SPECIES!" - one appears to be a yellow-bodied flying insect on the left and a green beetle-like insect on the right.

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Nathan Harness @nathanharness.bsky.social · May 27

A game I get to play often in Ecuador… One of these things is not like the other.

Do you see him? Imagine looking in an entire forest.

A leaf mimic katydid blending in perfectly with real leaves

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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · May 28

Just got back from Ecuador, where I made new friends, learned new things, and saw some cool stuff! Ecuador is a country that NEVER disappoints.

This gorgeous red huntsman spider is Sadala rauli, a rainforest inhabitant that I see quite often but was only formally described as a species a year ago!

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