Taiwanese Journal of Entomological Studies

1-11

Authors: DZULHELMI MUHAMMAD NASIR, THARY GAZI GOH, ZULQARNAIN MOHAMED, NORMARASHID YUSOFF

Approximately 34 tetragnathid species have been recorded in Malaysia. These orb-web spiders start building their first webs in early juvenile stages. The relationships between the morphology and the web characteristics of four tetragnathid species (Leucauge argentina, L. celebesiana, Mesida gemmea and Tylorida ventralis) were presented in this paper. The morphology was represented by eight morphological variables interpreted through first principal component analysis. The correlations between the morphology and each web characteristic were tested. The results showed that while there was a correlation between the principle component and the web size, there was no significant correlation in the number of spirals, number of radii, web-sites and webangles in the four tetragnathid species. Factors that affect web characteristics in different body sizes were likely influenced by environmental factors. Changes of web characteristics could have corresponded to the condition at different habitats types. The information obtained from this study could provide a better insight for other arachnids study particularly in Malaysia.

16-26

Authors: CHUN-YU LIN

NTU Insect Museum, Department of Entomology, National Taiwan University is one of the most important insect collections in northern Taiwan. This study aims to present a checklist of the determined cantharid beetles deposited at the NTU Insect Museum, including four subfamilies, fourteen genera, and fifty-six species.

32-33

Authors: CHENG-LUNG TSAI

Prosopocoilus motschulskii (Waterhouse, 1869) is an endemic stag beetle of Taiwan. However, its scientific name has been controversial owing to the incorrect spellings after the original publication in 1869. The present article demonstrates and clarifies some incorrect spellings after Waterhouse. Based on the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN, 1999), the specific name “motschulskii” should be fixed and accepted as the formal spelling of this stag beetle.