Matjaž Gregorič
@matjazgregoric.bsky.social
Arachnologist and evolutionary biologist @ezlab.bsky.social. From Slovenia. Likes Madagascar, movies, sports, beer.
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
I'm recruiting a Ph.D. student for Fall 2026.
Interested in comparative studies and trait evolution in fishes?
Send me an email with a CV and research interests. Please take a look at my website (jcorush.github.io ) for more information about my research.
#hybridization #minnows #mudskippers
Interested in comparative studies and trait evolution in fishes?
Send me an email with a CV and research interests. Please take a look at my website (jcorush.github.io ) for more information about my research.
#hybridization #minnows #mudskippers
Corush Lab
jcorush.github.io
December 4, 2025 at 12:38 AM
I'm recruiting a Ph.D. student for Fall 2026.
Interested in comparative studies and trait evolution in fishes?
Send me an email with a CV and research interests. Please take a look at my website (jcorush.github.io ) for more information about my research.
#hybridization #minnows #mudskippers
Interested in comparative studies and trait evolution in fishes?
Send me an email with a CV and research interests. Please take a look at my website (jcorush.github.io ) for more information about my research.
#hybridization #minnows #mudskippers
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
Osmooka aphana: new spider genus and species discovered in Madagascar
YouTube video by EZ lab
www.youtube.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
8/8
The discovery of Osmooka aphana highlights Madagascar’s tremendous, still-undescribed biodiversity—and the power of combining museum science, fieldwork, and genomics.
Open-access paper in Insect Systematics & Diversity: academic.oup.com/isd/article/...
The discovery of Osmooka aphana highlights Madagascar’s tremendous, still-undescribed biodiversity—and the power of combining museum science, fieldwork, and genomics.
Open-access paper in Insect Systematics & Diversity: academic.oup.com/isd/article/...
December 6, 2025 at 9:17 AM
8/8
The discovery of Osmooka aphana highlights Madagascar’s tremendous, still-undescribed biodiversity—and the power of combining museum science, fieldwork, and genomics.
Open-access paper in Insect Systematics & Diversity: academic.oup.com/isd/article/...
The discovery of Osmooka aphana highlights Madagascar’s tremendous, still-undescribed biodiversity—and the power of combining museum science, fieldwork, and genomics.
Open-access paper in Insect Systematics & Diversity: academic.oup.com/isd/article/...
Check out our new paper! Not only do we describe a cool spider (new genus) from Madagascar, related to an Australian one, but we also make a deep dive into orb weaver morphology to better understand family relationships and synapomorhpies. Proud of this one!
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Check out our new paper! Not only do we describe a cool spider (new genus) from Madagascar, related to an Australian one, but we also make a deep dive into orb weaver morphology to better understand family relationships and synapomorhpies. Proud of this one!
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
📢 NEW SPIDER GENUS JUST DROPPED
1/8
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
A new spider genus from Madagascar!
Researchers led by Matjaž Kuntner (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia) have described Osmooka aphana, discovered in the montane forests of Marojejy National Park.
December 6, 2025 at 9:21 AM
📢 NEW SPIDER GENUS JUST DROPPED
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
We're excited to announce the finalists of the #RSPPhotoComp 2025! 🎉 Starting with #microimaging and overall winner, 'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin Ramirez, capturing two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider (sample obtained by Dr Jonas Wolff @evoimec.bsky.social).
December 4, 2025 at 10:57 AM
We're excited to announce the finalists of the #RSPPhotoComp 2025! 🎉 Starting with #microimaging and overall winner, 'Mesmerizing spider threads' by Dr Martin Ramirez, capturing two exceptional silk threads of the Australian net-caster spider (sample obtained by Dr Jonas Wolff @evoimec.bsky.social).
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females - Gregorič - Integrative Zoology - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females
We ask whether species with exceptionally tough silk, like Caerostris bark spiders, show different developmental patterns in silk toughness between ontogenetic stages and sexes. We found that only la...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Extreme Silk Toughness in Caerostris Spiders Is Limited to Adult Females - Gregorič - Integrative Zoology - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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.
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...
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
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.
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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...
⏰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
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...
⏰Deadline 15th December, online info event TODAY @2pm! Link in the PhD advert👉 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016.
#Arachtober
#Arachtober
October 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
A pair of golden orb weavers from S. Africa (Trichonephila inaurata) mating back in 2016.
#Arachtober
#Arachtober
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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
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
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
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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...
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
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...
We provide an overdue taxonomic description, phylogenetic placement, and reconstruct the evolution of sexual size dimorphism.
www.ezlab.si/post/taxonom...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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-...
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
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-...
www.ezlab.si/post/female-...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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...
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
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...
Read more here:
www.ezlab.si/post/in-pisa...
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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.
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
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! 🕷️❤️
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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.
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
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.
From Nemesiidae, Salticidae and Theridiidae to scorpions and pseudoscorpions: our lecturers gave their best and gave us insight into their research.
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
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
Our plenary talk today: Unraveling Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders: Current Insights and Emerging Frontiers by Simona Kralj - Fišer
Reposted by Matjaž Gregorič
Spiky or smooth: How should widow spiders construct their egg sacs? By Valeria Arabesky
September 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Spiky or smooth: How should widow spiders construct their egg sacs? By Valeria Arabesky