Matjaž Gregorič
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matjazgregoric.bsky.social
Matjaž Gregorič
@matjazgregoric.bsky.social
50 followers 69 following 3 posts
Arachnologist and evolutionary biologist @ezlab.bsky.social. From Slovenia. Likes Madagascar, movies, sports, beer.
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matjazgregoric.bsky.social
New paper on bark spiders, who build the largest webs made out of the toughest silk. We show that their extremely tough silk, which is potentially metabolically costly, is limited to large females. Juveniles and males use inferior silk.
ezlab.bsky.social EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · 1d
New publication!

Orb weavers evolved some of the toughest silk, reaching extremes in bark spiders, genus Caerostris. We investigate sex and stage specific patterns in silk properties and find that extremely tough silk is limited to adult females.

www.ezlab.si/post/extreme...
Extreme silk toughness in Caerostris spiders is limited to adult females
Spider silks are protein fibers, renowned for their remarkable intrinsic mechanical properties. Dragline or major ampullate (MA) silk is particularly noteworthy for its combination of high tensile str...
www.ezlab.si
November 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
multipleye-lab.bsky.social
Come and work with us in our new home @bristolbiosci.bsky.social ! This fully funded PhD opportunity is open to anyone interested in spiders/eyes/light pollution/evolution/development! 🕷️👀

⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
November 24, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
sleeblab.bsky.social
Among other things we are interested in how Portia performs in hunting spiders after sleep disruption. #spider #sleep
November 4, 2025 at 5:43 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
shakiguani.bsky.social
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016.
#Arachtober
Close up of golden orb weavers mating. The male's body is around 10% the length of the female's.
October 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
mpavlek.bsky.social
Postdoc position available at Ruder Boskovic Institute in Zagreb, in the field of genomics and NGS data processing. Check out the call: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/376320
Contest point 7 – Postdoctoral Fellow
Postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Evolutionary Genetics. Fixed-term contract: 2 years and 4 months Number of positions: 1
euraxess.ec.europa.eu
September 29, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
zookeys.pensoft.net
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
September 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
ezlab.bsky.social
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
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
ezlab.bsky.social
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
September 17, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
simonakraljfiser.bsky.social
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
September 17, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
simonakraljfiser.bsky.social
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...
September 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
ezlab.bsky.social
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
September 17, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
waynemaddison.bsky.social
Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool.
September 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
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! 🕷️❤️
September 9, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
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.
September 1, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
Our plenary talk today: Unraveling Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders: Current Insights and Emerging Frontiers by Simona Kralj - Fišer
September 2, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
Spiky or smooth: How should widow spiders construct their egg sacs? By Valeria Arabesky
September 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
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!
August 27, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
cataranea.bsky.social
🕷️#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
August 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
wizentrop.bsky.social
Thanks to ‪PetaPixel‬ for spreading the word about AI photo theft. I know it is like a drop in the ocean and unlikely to change much, but it can at least encourage people to be more critical when viewing photos online.

petapixel.com/2025/08/07/a...

bsky.app/profile/wize...
August 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
tszuts.bsky.social
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
August 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
andifischer10.bsky.social
🎓 #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
July 31, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
nnariman.bsky.social
Tiny #spiders, huge impact! Meet #MermessusTrilobatus – a North-American dwarf spider that has stormed across #Europe in <50 yrs. We follow every silk thread of its success story 🕸️✨ Swipe through this thread for the highlights! #InvasiveSpecies #Ecology
Two small brown spiders on their webs with white springtails. The smaller male spider is on the left, while the larger female spider on the right has a visible red mating plug that develops after her first mating to ensure paternity. Small white springtails, which serve as food for the spiders, are scattered on the silky webs. Three stereo-microscope views of Mermessus trilobatus (dwarf spider): (a) an unmated female seen from above with a smooth epigynal, (b) a mated female showing the rounded mating plug covering her epigyne, and (c) a male with slender legs and elongated abdomen, all on a neutral background.
July 24, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
35theca2025.bsky.social
Arachnid of the week is Troglochthonius doratodactylus Helversen, 1968
July 17, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
maijakarala.bsky.social
Birds are such a strange kind of dinosaur, we would be astonished by them if they weren't around us all the time.

Goblin-like puppeteers behind a screen of feathers, as described by Gary W. Kaiser in his book The Inner Bird.
Digital illustration of a red and blue macaw parrot flying from right to left. Overlaid is drawing of what the parrot looks like without feathers: a chubby pink creature with small limbs and a very large head.
July 13, 2025 at 5:52 PM