Redescription of Damastes leo (Simon, 1903), comb. nov. (Araneae, Sparassidae) from Madagascar with first description of the male

Abstract

Damastes leo (Simon, 1903), comb. nov. (ex Megaloremmius) female is redescribed and the male is described for the first time. The species is endemic to Madagascar, and its range appears to be limited to remnants of the rainforest. The first COI record for the species is presented, and its distribution is analysed in detail using iNaturalist data.

Introduction

There has been a recent increase in publications on the spiders of Madagascar. This trend encompasses not only the description of new species, but also the identification of numerous new genera spanning various spider groups over the past decade (Jocqué and Henrard 2015; Wood and Scharff 2018; Haddad 2021; Henrard et al. 2024; Kuntner et al. 2025; Pett et al. 2025). This trend highlights the scarcity of studies on Madagascar’s fauna and its distinctiveness. This also applies to the family Sparassidae, which is one of the most diverse families of spiders. Currently, this family comprises over 1,500 species worldwide (World Spider Catalog 2026), including 72 species in 13 genera recorded in Madagascar (Jäger 2020, 2021a, 2021b; Wood and Griswold 2022). Notably, 97% of these species are endemic to Madagascar. Recent studies on the Sparass­idae of Madagascar have described or revised highly distinct, endemic genera (Silva-Dávila 2005; Jäger 2020, 2021a, 2021b). In this study, we argue that there is one genus of Sparassidae too many in Madagascar. The first detailed study of a male of the monotypic genus Megaloremmius Simon, 1903 prompted its reclassification to the genus Damastes Simon, 1880.

Simon (1903) established Megaloremmius to classify the large, very hairy huntsman spider, Megaloremmius leo Simon, 1903. Simon differentiated it from the other Madagascan genus, Damastes, based on clypeal height. The common features of all Damastes include: both eye rows procurved, AME largest, embolus filiform and resting in a sheath-like conductor, and epigyne with lateral lobes touching along the median line (Jäger and Kunz 2005).

So far, only the female of Damastes leo comb. nov. has been officially recorded. There is just one additional paper by Jäger and Kunz (2005) relevant to the taxonomy of this genus, in which the female genitalia are depicted. Aside from these contributions, the genus Megaloremmius remains poorly understood. However, a substantial number of photographs are available online, as these spiders are conspicuous, distinctive, and spectacular.

Thanks to the recent discovery of the species in Ranomafana National Park, especially the sampling of the male sex, we can redescribe the species and revise its taxonomic position. We also provide the first barcode (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COI) sequences for the identified species of Damastes; only a few sequences were available in GenBank, all from specimens identified to genus level only. Barcoding (Hebert et al. 2003) is a powerful tool in biodiversity studies, as it, for instance, supports sex-matching (Korai and Jäger 2025; Zhang et al. 2025). We used this method to support morphological data and to group extant COI sequences of Damastes.

Materials and methods

Collecting and illustrating

The specimens were collected in November 2024 in Ranomafana National Park. A female and a male of this species were sampled by hand at night and preserved in 70% ethanol. The male illustration was prepared on an iPad using photographs taken under a stereomicroscope with focus stacking and a camera lucida attached to a stereomicroscope. Setae and spines are omitted from the illustrations. Female copulatory organs were dissected, cleared in 96% lactic acid and drawn using a camera lucida attachment on a stereomicroscope. Habitus photos in ethanol were taken using a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon ringlite. All measurements are in millimetres. The leg formula and leg spination pattern follow Jäger (2001). As in Jäger and Kunz (2005: 88), slit sensilla near the epigyne are depicted and considered taxonomically relevant characters.

Additionally, we compare our species with Damastes validus (Blackwall, 1877), which we consider most similar to D. leo comb. nov. For this reason, we present new figures for the former species, based on specimens from museum collections. The specimens used for comparison has the following material data:

Seychelles • 1♀, 1 juv.; Silhouette; Brauer leg.; ZMB, PJ 864 • 1♂; MNHN, 1603. Fig. 5A–G

Figures 5.

Copulatory organs of Damastes validus. A. Male, left pedipalp, ventral view; B. Same, retrolateral view; C–G. Female; C. Epigyne, ventral view, with some internal structures visible (epigyne partly damaged); D. Vulva, ventral view; E. Vulva, left lateral view; F. Schematic course of internal duct system, left lateral view; G. Same, dorsal view. Abbreviations: CO – copulatory opening, EB – embolus base, LL – lateral lobe. Asterisk indicating U-shaped structure at embolus base, arrows indicating glandular appendages.

All specimens were checked for scars, as potential traces of mating bites as described by Jäger and Krehenwinkel (2015), Jäger (2021a, 2023), and Eudeline and Jäger (2023).

Genetic data

Genomic DNA was extracted using a magnetic bead-based protocol specifically adapted for degraded and challenging museum specimens (Tin et al. 2014). The standard procedure was modified in two respects: (i) guanidine isothiocyanate in the lysis buffer was replaced with guanidine thiocyanate, and (ii) magnetic beads supplied by G-Biosciences (St. Louis, MO, USA) were substituted with Qiagen MagAttract Suspension G beads from the MagAttract HMW DNA Kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany). A single dissected leg was incubated in lysis buffer overnight at 56 °C.

The standard COI DNA barcoding fragment was amplified using PCR, after which amplicons were quality-checked and subjected to Sanger sequencing. PCR cycling conditions and post-PCR purification were performed according to the protocol outlined by Querner et al. (2022). Purified products were sequenced in the forward direction using the Sanger method, with sequencing services provided by Macrogen Europe BV (Amsterdam, The Netherlands).

One of the two Sanger-generated amplicons yielded a contaminated sequence. To overcome this issue, next-generation sequencing based on Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) was employed, following the framework proposed by Srivathsan et al. (2021, 2024). PCR amplification, library preparation, sequencing, and downstream read processing were conducted according to the protocol described by Bienias et al. (2025).

Sequence assembly and alignment were conducted in Geneious v. 10.2.6 (Biomatters Ltd; Kearse et al. 2012), with multiple sequence alignment performed using MUSCLE (Edgar 2004) under default parameters. The resulting alignments were subsequently examined manually; primer sequences were trimmed, and all sequences were checked for the presence of stop codons, frameshifts, and ambiguous nucleotide calls. For Sanger-generated sequences produced by Macrogen, chromatograms were additionally inspected for double peaks and other signs of sequence ambiguity using the same software environment.

Sequence identification was carried out through similarity-based searches against the GenBank database using BLAST and by comparison with reference barcode records in the BOLD Systems database.

To confirm conspecificity of males and females, COI-based species delimitation was performed using sequences generated in this study, together with previously published and publicly available COI sequences of the genus Damastes (Table 1).

Table 1.

Sequences included in analyses. The sequences originate from public databases and from spiders collected by us. The specimens available in the databases were not identified to the species level.

Accession number (GenBank)	Process ID (BOLD)	Identification	References
OK646491	GBMNE88745-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
OK646492	GBMNE88746-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
OK646493	GBMNE88747-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
OK646494	GBMNE88748-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
OK646495	GBMNE88749-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
OK646496	GBMNE88750-22	Damastes sp.	Gorneau et al. 2022
GQ855822	GBCH5137-10	Damastes sp. SB-2009	Unpublished
HM575918	GACS542-19	Damastes sp.	Crews and Gillespie 2010
PZ179808	AFARA115-25	Damastes leo comb. nov.	This study
PZ179809	AFARA116-25	Damastes leo comb. nov.	This study
—	SPIZA996-21	Olios sp.	National Collection of Arachnida, South Africa

Molecular operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were delineated on the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) platform using the Refined Single Linkage (RESL) algorithm. High-quality sequences were assigned to Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) following the standard BOLD workflow (Ratnasingham and Hebert 2013). A neighbour-joining (NJ) distance tree (Saitou and Nei 1987) was constructed based on Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distances (Kimura 1980), with nodal support assessed using 500 bootstrap replicates (Felsenstein 1985). Estimates of intraspecific genetic distances were calculated using the K2P model in MEGA12 (Kumar et al. 2024).

All sequences generated in this study have been deposited in the BOLD Systems database (Ratnasingham and Hebert 2007) and are publicly accessible under doi: https://doi.org/10.5883/ds-damasleo. The same sequences have also been submitted to GenBank: PZ179808–PZ179809.

Distribution analysis

The distribution map of Damastes leo comb. nov. was prepared using publicly available data from iNaturalist (Suppl. material 1). The presence of a similar species in Madagascar cannot be totally ruled out, but it seems unlikely that such a massive and conspicuous species have been overlooked for centuries. However, our interpretation of the records from iNaturalist may be taken with some caution. The map was created in SimpleMappr (Shorthouse 2010) and subsequently modified in PhotoScape X.

Abbreviations

ALE—anterior lateral eyes, AME—anterior median eyes, AW—anterior width of prosoma, OL—opisthosoma length, OW—opisthosoma width, PL—prosoma length, PLE—posterior lateral eyes, PME—posterior median eyes, PW—prosoma width, I–IV—legs I–IV.

MNHN Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France (Kaïna Privet);

SMF Senckenberg Research Institute, Arachnology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Peter Jäger);

ZMB Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany (Jason Dunlop).

Results

Taxonomy

Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872

Damastes Simon, 1880

Damastes leo

(Simon, 1903) comb. nov.

44030826-6A38-560A-A4D0-CCD7AE73BECD

Figs 1A–D, 2A–F, 3A–F, 4A–F

Figure 1.

Damastes leo comb. nov. in the Ranomafana National Park. A. Female in the treetops over the Namorona River, ca 5–10 m above ground level (photo by Michał Furgoł); B, D. Clypeus, frontal (B female, D male); C. Male in rainforest litter (photo by George Toussaint).

Figure 2.

Habitus of Damastes leo comb. nov. A–C. Male; D–F. Female. A, C, F. Dorsal view; B, D. Ventral view; E. Lateral view.

Figure 3.

Damastes leo comb. nov. A–D. Male; E, F. Female. A, C. Left pedipalp, ventral view; B, D. Same, retrolateral view; E. Epigyne, ventral view; F. Vulva, dorsal view. Abbreviations: C – conductor, E – embolus, EB – embolus base, RTA – retrolateral apophysis. Asterisk indicates U-shaped structure at embolus base.

Figures 4.

Damastes leo comb. nov., female. A. Epigyne, ventral view; B. Epigyne, posterior view; C. Vulva, dorsal view; D. Vulva, lateral view; E. Schematic course of internal duct system, dorsal view; F. Same, lateral view. Abbreviations: AB – anterior band, CD – copulatory duct, CO – copulatory opening, EF – epigynal field, FD – fertilization duct, LL – lateral lobe. Arrows indicating glandular appendages.

• Megaloremmius leo Simon, 1903: 1025 (Description of female; holotype female from Antongil [ca 15°26'7.7"S, 49°43'52.8"E, 15 m a.s.l.], Madagascar, MNHN 1624-21398; examined). Jäger and Kunz 2005: 167, figs 103–108 (illustration of female).

Material examined.

Madagascar • 1 ♂; Ranomafana National Park, Valohoaka site; 21°19'12.0"S, 47°25'12.0"E (ca 1 km accuracy); ca 1100 m a.s.l.; 27 Nov. 2024; George Toussaint leg.; night, in litter, hand collected; BOLD/GenBank: [AFARA115-25]; SMF • 1 ♀, Ranomafana National Park, by Namorona River; 21°15'29.7"S, 47°25'17.4"E; 920 m a.s.l.; 25 Nov. 2024; Konrad Wiśniewski leg.; night, hand collected, in the tree top, ca 10 m above ground level, collected from the bridge over Namorona; BOLD/GenBank: [AFARA116-25]; SMF.

Diagnosis.

The species is highly characteristic due to its large size, dense and long setae, and the clypeus covered densely with orange-red setae. Compared with all other Damastes, it is larger and more robust, with a more convex carapace (Fig. 2E). The male pedipalp of D. leo (Fig. 3A–D) is similar to that of Damastes validus (Fig. 5A, B), sharing the general arrangement of the pedipalpal elements, such as the embolus and conductor, with the embolus base bulging retrolaterally, but can be distinguished by: 1. Conductor wider at its base, narrowing strongly towards tip (generally narrower and of more equal width in D. validus); 2. Embolus base forming prolaterally a shallow U-shaped margin (forming a distinct elongated U-shaped margin in D. validus). The female copulatory organ of D. leo (Figs 3E, 3F, 4A–F) resemble that of D. validus (Fig. 5C–G) in having a similar structure of the internal duct system, i.e. the copulatory ducts firstly running posterior from the antero-laterally situated openings, then running in a sigmoid double turn, after that running as a broad duct along the median line to the posterior part with some postero-lateral coils before entering the fertilization ducts dorso-posteriorly, but can be distinguished by: 1. Distance between ducts clearly separated (situated close to each other in D. validus). 2. Lateral lobes protruding beyond the epigastric furrow posteriorly (not so in D. validus). 3. Glandular appendages ventrad (dorsad in D. validus).

Description of male.

Spider large, total length 29.2; carapace longer than wide, convex; brownish black in living specimens (Fig. 1C); brown to dark brown in preserved specimens (Fig. 2A–C); clypeus relatively high for Damastes, i.e., two times the diameter of AME, yellowish brown (Figs 1D, 2B). Legs long, slender, with long, red, brown to bluish-iridescent setae (Fig. 1C). Pedipalp (Fig. 3A–D) as in diagnosis. RTA arising subdistally from tibia, wide at base, tapering and slightly curved to ventral side (retrolateral view). Cymbium longer than tibia, bluntly rounded apically. Conductor arising centrally from tegulum, broad at base, tapering, its tip retrolatero-distad, joining embolus at 10:30. Spermophor not visible due to sclerotization. Embolus arising point at 4:30, base bulging retrolaterally, semicircular.

PL 14.5, PW 12.8, AW 8.7, OL 14.7, OW 11.1; Eyes: AME 0.90, ALE 0.71, PME 0.70, PLE 0.69; AME–AME 0.43, AME–ALE 0.90, PME–PME 0.99, PME–PLE 171, AME–PME 0.60, ALE–PLE 0.70, clypeus height at AME 2.03, clypeus height at ALE 1.65. Chelicerae with 3/2 promarginal, 5 retromarginal teeth, without denticles.

Spination: pedipalp: 100, 000, 000; legs: Femur I 203(302), II 313(4), III 312, IV 300; Patella 000; Tibia I 0(2)006, II 2026, III–IV 2006; Metatarsus I–II 0003, III 1004, IV 1005.

Measurements of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 17.6 (5.9, 2.3, 3.3, -, 6.1), I 60.2 (16.2, 7.1, 15.8, 16.9, 4.3), II 62.8 (17.1, 7.2, 16.9, 17.3, 4.3), III 47.3 (14.2, 5.8, 12.3, 11.4, 3.6), IV 47.0 (14.1, 5.4, 11.9, 11.6, 4.0). Leg formula 2134.

Scars: left tibia IV with 1 round and 1 irregular scar dorsally in distal half.

Description of female.

Large spider, total length 35.2, carapace longer than wide, convex, dark brown, clypeus yellow-orange, muted orange in preserved specimens. Legs long, more robust than in male, legs and opisthosoma with dense, reddish-brown setae (Fig. 1A). Epigyne and internal copulatory organs as in diagnosis and Figs 3E, 3F, 4A–F(compare also: Jäger and Kunz 2005: figs 103–105). Epigynal field trapezoid, distinctly longer than wide, anterior bands patchy, indistinct. Slit sensilla absent. Copulatory openings situated antero-laterally.

PL 14.7, PW 13.1, AW 9.5, OL 20.5, OW 16.7; Eyes: AME 0.84, ALE 0.62, PME 0.70, PLE 0.62; AME–AME 0.43, AME–ALE 0.95, PME–PME 1.13, PME–PLE 1.89, AME–PME 0.59, ALE–PLE 0.75, clypeus height at AME 1.61, clypeus height at ALE 1.32. Chelicerae with 3/2 promarginal, 4/3 retromarginal teeth, without denticles.

Spination: pedipalp: 100, 000, 1000, 2(1)010; legs: FE I 113, II 313, III 312(3), IV 311; PA 000; TI I 0006, II–IV 1006; MT I 0003, II 0004, III 1004, IV 1005.

Measurements of pedipalp and legs: pedipalp 16.1 (5.1, 2.8, 3.1, —, 5.1), I 47.8 (13.2, 6.5, 12.4, 12.2, 3.5), II 50.0 (14.1, 6.7, 13.0, 12.6, 3.6), III 40.2 (12.5, 5.5, 10.1, 8.6, 3.5), IV 49.1 (11.9, 5.3, 9.8, 8.6, 3.5). Leg formula 2413.

Remarks.

We found intraspecific variation in the shape of the posterior lateral lobes in the epigyne of the present female and the holotype illustrated by Jäger and Kunz (2005: fig. 103): the posterior humps of the lateral lobes in the holotype are much longer and more defined than those in our specimen (Figs 3E, 4A).

We propose the English name “Malagasy lion spider” for the species, which refers to its Latin name and appearance.

Distribution.

The range of this species appears to be restricted to the remnants of the rainforest in eastern Madagascar (Fig. 6, Suppl. material 1). Most records come from the north-east (Alaotra-Mangoro), central east (environs of Andasibe, Moramanga, and Mantadia National Park) and more to the south, in the district of Fiaranantsoa (e.g. Ranomafana National Park).

Figure 6.

The known distribution of Damastes leo comb. nov. based on data from iNaturalist (red dots), including the type locality (yellow triangle) and the collection presented in this article (yellow dot). The dark green colour indicates the current extent of Madagascar’s rainforests.

Molecular data.

The two sequences obtained from specimens originating from Ranomafana National Park were identical (Table 2). No other publicly available sequences are available in the repositories. We observed considerable similarity in COI sequences with those of other representatives of the genus Damastes (Table 2; Fig. 7).

Table 2.

OTUs from Cluster Sequence (RESL) Analysis.

OTU	Process ID	Mean	Max	Taxon	BIN	Count	NN Dist
OTU-1	GBCH5137-10	0	0	Damastes sp. SB-2009	BOLD:AAN1412	1	11.0732
OTU-2	GACS542-19	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.		7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88745-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.		7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88746-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.		7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88747-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.		7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88748-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.	BOLD:AEW8282	7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88749-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.	BOLD:AEW8282	7	11.0732
OTU-2	GBMNE88750-22	0.8414	2.0446	Damastes sp.	BOLD:AEW8282	7	11.0732
OTU-3	SPIZA996-21	0	0	Olios sp.	BOLD:AEO0918	1	13.7037
OTU-4	AFARA115-25	0.1634	0.1634	Damastes leo		2	12.9808
OTU-4	AFARA116-25	0.1634	0.1634	Damastes leo		2	12.9808

Figure 7.

Neighbour-joining tree of the COI sequences representing the Damastes species and the Olios representative as an outgroup. Numbers near nodes show bootstrap values.

The final alignment used for species delimitation comprised 658 nucleotide positions (nps) of COI gene sequences representing 11 specimens (Table 2). All nucleotide sequences were successfully translated into amino acid sequences without stop codons. Of the 658 nucleotide positions, 163 were variable, and the transition-to-transversion ratio (R) was 1.04.

The NJ analysis clustered the COI sequences of Damastes into maximally supported clades (Table 3; Fig. 7), grouping male and female specimens of Damastes leo comb. nov. together. Genetic divergence among COIOTUs ranged from 14.5% to 17.25%.

Table 3.

Estimates of Evolutionary Divergence over Sequence Pairs between OTU groups.

	Olios sp. OTU-3	Damastes leo OTU-4	Damastes sp. OTU-1	Damastes sp. OTU-2
Olios sp. OTU-3
Damastes leo OTU-4	15.60%
Damastes sp. OTU-1	17.25%	14.50%
Damastes sp. OTU-2	16.51%	15.68%	13.02%

Discussion

Taxonomic status

Damastes leo comb. nov. was originally assigned to a monotypic genus, Megalo­remmius, based on its distinctive appearance (Simon 1903). However, a thorough morphological analysis of the first discovered male indicates that placement in a separate genus is not justified, as most of its features, especially the structure of the genitalia, are similar to those of other Damastes species. The position and shape of the embolus, the shape of the conductor, the general structure of the RTA, and the number of cheliceral teeth are all typical of Damastes. Therefore, maintaining the monotypic genus is unnecessary. The diversity of Damastes might be considerable and larger than previously thought. The genus requires a complete revision, with several undescribed or unidentified species (Soutinho et al. 2018; Fulgence et al. 2021; Gorneau et al. 2023). The phylogenetic placement of the genus Damastes within Sparassidae remains unresolved; although it has been included in several molecular phylogenetic studies (e.g. Agnarsson and Rayor 2013; Moradmand et al. 2014; Gorneau et al. 2022, 2023) and consistently recovered as monophyletic, its affinities remain weakly supported and inconsistent, being variably placed near Palystinae or outside major subfamilial clades, precluding confident assignment to any currently recognised subfamily. Further molecular data are required to clarify its phylogenetic relationships.

Distribution and conservation issues

Damastes leo comb. nov. is highly distinctive; however, the only published record to date is from Simon (1903: Antongila Bay). Thanks to its distinctive appearance, this spider has been well documented on iNaturalist. However, the data from this source are probably incomplete and primarily reflect popular tourist and naturalist destinations (e.g. Andasibe and Ranomafana). Specimens observed in other localities do not differ significantly in overall appearance. Nevertheless, the possibility of sibling species occurrence cannot be completely excluded.

The species is exclusively found in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar and most images were taken in forest habitats. It is likely to be a good indicator species for rainforests, which are currently under severe threat in Madagascar (Vieilledent et al. 2018). However, this must be confirmed by further observations. Conserving rainforest areas and their primary characteristics is essential for maintaining high biodiversity among numerous animal groups (Rajaonarimalala et al. 2024).

Most observations of D. leo comb. nov. originate from easily accessible locations, as spiders were photographed near or at ground level. However, the species is active across a variety of microhabitats, including tree crowns, as our observation of a female clearly demonstrates. This habitat is generally difficult for scientists to access and supports significant spider diversity in rainforests, although data on it are limited (Russell-Smith and Stork 1994).

Molecular data

We presented the first barcode sequences for this species, as well as the first sequences for other members of the genus Damastes that remain unidentified. COI sequences have proven highly useful for sex matching (Trębicki et al. 2021) and community studies (Kennedy et al. 2020). While there was little doubt that the female and male we observed belonged to the same species, there may still be hidden diversity within D. leo populations, and it would be worthwhile to check all specimens for cryptic species.

The COI divergence obtained for Damastes from databases indicate comparatively high interspecific divergence (Zhang et al. 2025), ranging from 13 to 17%. This supports the conclusion that these are distinct species. However, subsequent work must include more species from this potentially large genus, as well as additional genetic markers (Gajski et al. 2024), to support diversity analysis and phylogenetic inference.

Additional information

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ethical statement

No ethical statement was reported.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) use

The authors accept full responsibility for the content of the manuscript, including the disclosure of any use of AI.

No AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

This study was partially supported by the MINIATURA project, funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), Poland, under grant number 2025/09/X/NZ8/01757: “Spider diversity in the rainforests of Madagascar—an analysis of the strongly endangered and unique fauna using contemporary methods”. The Pomeranian University in Słupsk provided partial support for the excursion to Madagascar and publication costs.

Author contributions

Illia Uharov and Konrad Wiśniewski sampled the material in the field; Illia Uharov and Peter Jäger performed the taxonomic analysis and provided figures; Łukasz Trębicki performed the genetic analysis. All the authors contributed to the first draft of the article and participated in its revisions.

Author ORCIDs

I. Uharov https://orcid.org/0009-0007-9840-9048

K. Wiśniewski https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6780-3292

Ł. Trębicki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6384-226X

P. Jäger https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1563-0147

Data availability

All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text or Supplementary Information.

Supplementary materials

Supplementary material 1

Data on the distribution of Damastes leo from iNaturalist

This dataset is made available under the Open Database License (http://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1.0/). The Open Database License (ODbL) is a license agreement intended to allow users to freely share, modify, and use this Dataset while maintaining this same freedom for others, provided that the original source and author(s) are credited.

Illia Uharov, Konrad Wiśniewski, Łukasz Trębicki, Peter Jäger

Data type

docx

Explanation note

table SS1: Data on the distribution of Damastes leo from iNaturalist. Coordinates and geographical regions are named and standardized, as well as the sex of the spotted spider. The last check was carried out on 1 October 2025. m – male, f – female.