During surveys conducted in the greenhouses of the Donetsk Botanical Garden, Coleosoma floridanum Banks, 1900 (Araneae: Theridiidae) – an alien pantropical species of spiders of Neotropical origin was recorded for the first time for the south of the European part of Russia. The primary mode of dispersal of the species appears to be accidental importation via live plants or other cargos. In Europe, C. floridanum is an obligate synanthrope, typically associated with greenhouses of botanical gardens. Within the greenhouses of the Donetsk Botanical Garden, spiders were observed on the undersides of leaves, plant trunks, and beneath flower pots. Notable prey items identified included herbivorous mites (Panonychus citri and Tetranychus urticae), mealybugs larvae (Planococcus ficus), whitefly adults (Trialeurodes vaporariorum), and various species of thrips (Tripidae) and fungus gnats (Sciaridae). Based on these observations, C. floridanum is currently considered an effective agent of biological pest control in greenhouses of the Donetsk Botanical Garden.

Gubin A.I.