Rickettsiella
Guides
Mermessus albulus
Mermessus albulus is a species of sheet-web weaving spider in the family Linyphiidae, first described by Zorsch and Crosby in 1934. It belongs to a genus that has become notable in recent research as a model system for studying heritable bacterial symbionts and their effects on host reproduction. Related species in the genus, such as Mermessus fradeorum, host complex symbiont communities including Rickettsiella, Wolbachia, and Tisiphia, which can induce feminization in genetic males. The specific biology of M. albulus itself remains poorly documented in published literature.
Mermessus fradeorum
Mermessus fradeorum is a small sheet-weaving spider (family Linyphiidae) originally described from North America and subsequently introduced to multiple regions worldwide. The species has gained scientific attention as an emerging model organism for studying heritable bacterial symbiont communities. Individual spiders can simultaneously host up to five distinct maternally transmitted bacteria, including Rickettsiella, Wolbachia, and Tisiphia, making this species valuable for research on multi-symbiont interactions and temperature effects on symbiont community dynamics.