This paper presents some results of a forest ecology research project by the University of Munich’s faculty of Forestry, involving the comparison of forests designed to reflect varying degrees of naturalness. Spiders on the ground and on trunks in four different forests in the Hienheimer Forst were caught with 24 ground photo eclectors, 8 arboreal eclectors and with 40 pitfall traps. Habitat requirements were measured and analysed with particular attention to forest soil. Abiotic parameters and the structure of the litter layer were recorded. The most frequent spiders were the Linyphiidae, Agelenidae and Amaurobidae.63 species of the family Linyphiidae were caught. One half of the Linyphiidae-species could be found on trunks of oak and spruce (eclector fauna). In terms of the number of spider species and in the portion of rare and endangered species there were almost no differences between commercial forest areas and conservation areas. The differences are not as great as the original classification according to closeness to the natural state had led us to expect.

Trogulus martensi Chemini, 1983, formerly thought to be endemic in northern Italy, is recorded from several places near Basle (first records in Switzerland and France). The species is close to T. galasensis Avram, 1971. Important differences to the syntopic T. closanicus Avram, 1971 (first published record in Fance) and the sympatric T. nepaeformis (Scopoli, 1763) are shown and discussed. Additional biometric, autecological and phenological data of Trogulus martensi are presented.

Remarkable harvestmen from the Czech Republic

First record of Maro sublestus Falconer, 1915 in Saxonia (Araneae, Linyphiidae)

A lowland occurance of Nemastoma triste in the Spreewald/Brandenburg (Opiliones: Nemastomatidae)

Distribution of Pirata knorri (Scopoli, 1763) in Eifel, Hunsrück and Saar-Nahe-Bergland (Germany)

Records of Hahnia microphthalma from Germany (Araneae: Hahniidae)

Zelotes hungaricus, Cryptodrassus pulchellus, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary

book review: Sührig, A. (1996): Untersuchungen zum räumlichen Verteilungsmuster von Spinnen (Araneida) der Bodenzone in einem Kalkbuchenwald: Eine Analyse auf der Ebene der Makroskala

symposium invitation, capture, re-capture

distribution maps; Germany

editorial

anniversary, Heinz Hiebsch

A list of european parasitic flies (Diptera) and their prey is presented. The Hippoboscidae: Melophagus ovinus (Linnaeus, 1758) is described as an accidental parasite of Alopecosa striatipes (C.L. Koch, 1837). 24 species of parsitic flies and 20 spider host species are listed.

The cave spider Nesticus eremita is recorded in Mainz and Mannheim in the sewerage. It seems that this species has a wider distribution as suggested before. It is supposed that the species, originally distributed in the southern alps respectively in southern Europe, was introduced in the last hundred years, whereby the Rhine river (driftwod, riparian habitats) is suggested besides the introduction by man as one possible way of introducing. During examining individuals of N. eremita and N. cellulans it was found, that the position of the thrichobothrium is not useful for distinguishing these species, but the genital characters are.

The communities of bark-dwelling spiders and false scorpions on standing trunks of living and dead oaks (Quercus robur) of various stages were studied in an ancient woodland in the lowland of NW-Germany. The investigations were carried out from march to october 1996 by use of 28 emergencs traps. For comparative purpose one stem-eclector was used. All traps were installed at a height of 2 meters. The appropriateness of these methods for collecting spiders is discussed. A total of 1828 spiders (41 species) and 57 false scorpions (1 species) were encountered. Abundance gradients are analysed with regard to bark-structure, insolation and age of dead wood. Three species are first recorded in the NW-German Plan: Dipoena torva, Haplodrassus cognatus and Synema globosum. Hitherto the predominant spieders Thyreosthenius parasiticus and Haplodrassus cognatus have not been found on bark abundantly. Thus, the structure of the bark-dwelling fauna varies considerably with region, biotope structure and historical aspects. The occurence of Dendrochernes cymeus, which in Britain is associtated with ancient woodlands, indicates that this species could be restricted to such woodlands in Northern Germany, too.

List of the Central European families of spiders, with a list of remarkable nomenclatural changes of species and genera by Platnick (1997), with remarks and additions.

Study on the spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) in the nature reserve "Bültenmoor" near Lüneburg, Germany