Discovery of three new species of Thiratoscirtus (Araneae: Salticidae: Thiratoscirtinae) from Central African rainforest.

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 Africa.

A new Cangoderces (Araneae, Telemidae) from DR Congo, the first telemid from Central Africa.

Spiders collected as part of a rapid biodiversity survey in lowland forest in Democratic Republic Congo contained a new species of Cangoderces Harington, 1951 (Telemidae). The male of the new Cangoderces wewef sp. n. is characterized by the male palp with a deep triangular dorsal indentation of the bulbus and the apophyses at the base of the embolus. The female is recognized by the shape of the sclerotized spermatheca in the endogyne. The presence of the species in DR Congo fills the huge distribution gap between the species known from South Africa, Kenya and western Africa.

Novelty Response of Wild African Apes to Camera Traps.

Temperament and personality research in humans and nonhuman animals measures behavioral variation in individual, population, or species-specific traits with implications for survival and fitness, such as social status, foraging, and mating success [1-5]. Curiosity and risk-taking tendencies have been studied extensively across taxa by measuring boldness and exploration responses to experimental novelty exposure [3, 4, 6-15]. Here, we conduct a natural field experiment using wildlife monitoring technology to test variation in the reaction of wild great apes (43 groups of naive chimpanzees, bonobos, and western gorillas across 14 field sites in Africa) to a novel object, the camera trap. Bonobo and gorilla groups demonstrated a stronger looking impulse toward the camera trap device compared to chimpanzees, suggesting higher visual attention and curiosity. Bonobos were also more likely to show alarm and other fearful behaviors, although such neophobic (and conversely, neophilic) responses were generally rare. Among all three species, individuals looked at cameras longer when they were young, were associating with fewer individuals, and did not live near a long-term research site. Overall, these findings partially validate results from great ape novelty paradigms in captivity [7, 8]. We further suggest that species-typical leadership styles [16] and social and environmental effects, including familiarity with humans, best explain novelty responses of wild great apes. In sum, this study illustrates the feasibility of large-scale field experiments and the importance of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors in shaping animal curiosity. VIDEO ABSTRACT.