Arachnologische Mitteilungen 57

Arachnologische Mitteilungen / Arachnology Letters 57: 54-59 Karlsruhe, April 2019 The ground spider Gnaphosa badia (L. Koch, 1866) belongs to the Gnaphosa bicolor -group (Gnaphosidae), which contains a small number of exclusively Palaearctic species (Ovtsharenko et al. 1992). The species has a disjunctive distribution inha- biting some mountainous regions of Eurasia, and has a pre- ference for high altitude ecosystems (1600–2800 m, Grimm 1985). Perhaps because of its chorological peculiarities and ecological preferences, this spider remains poorly investigated. For example, in some regions there are only one or two known localities of G. badia in the second half of the 20th century; thus the information is relatively old and was not confirmed by current records, and remains fragmentary regarding cer- tain territories. Some records are doubtful, especially those for lowland areas. From 1971 onwards, the data relating to the occurrence of this species within the Ukrainian Carpathi- ans was repeatedly copied into several publications. Mistakes were neither being detected, nor was it stated precisely where the specimens had been collected. All these factors reveal the need for a generalized approach towards the published data on the distribution of G. badia . Material and methods Material was collected in the Ukrainian Carpathians on the territory of the Chornohora and the Rakhiv Mountain mas- sifs in the subalpine and alpine zones.The study was conduc- ted based on standard collecting methods, such as pitfall traps and hand collecting. Spiders were identified using the key of Nentwig et al. (2018). Nomenclature follows the World Spi- der Catalog (WSC 2018). Material of G. badia is deposited in the collections of the Institute of Ecology of the Carpathi- ans NAS of Ukraine (Lviv). Photographs were taken using an Olympus DP72 camera connected to an Olympus SZX10 stereoscope (Center for collective use of the scientific equip- ment, National Museum of Natural History, NAS of Ukraine, Lviv). The Chornohora Mountain massif is the highest moun- tain group of the Ukrainian Carpathians. Its main range ex­ tends for about 40 km. The western part of the massif con- tains Mt. Petros (2020 m), from which extends a group of lower mountains.The eastern section is a range with 11 sum- mits over 1800 m (the highest peak is Hoverla with 2061 m), with a minimum elevation of 1750 m above sea level. The subalpine zone (1600–1650 m to 1800–1850 m) is represen- ted by treeline ecotones, green alder and Pinus mugo scrubs, secondary Vaccinium heaths and Juniperus thickets, subalpine tall grass communities and Nardus stricta swards. The alpi- ne zone (1800–1850 m to 2061 m) is dominated by alpine heaths, alpigenous grasslands, and moss and lichen commu- nities. Large areas of the summits of the mountain range are covered with screes, consisting of fragments of rocks that have accumulated on the tops of mountains or on the slopes. The Rakhiv Mountain massif is located in Romania (main part) and Ukraine (northern and north-western parts). The high- est peak on the Ukrainian side is Pip Ivan Marmaroshs’kyi (1936 m). The Western ridge of the massif with the moun- tains Zherban (1793 m), Polonynka (1627 m) and Preluka (1281 m) creates a natural border between the countries.The vegetation of the subalpine zone (up to 1600 m) of this ridge is represented by dense thickets of Pinus mugo and Juniperus sibirica growing on rocky slopes , and in places by green alder scrub (in treeline ecotones). Gnaphosa badia (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians with comments on its distribution Anna Hirna doi: 10.30963/aramit5710 Abstract. An analysis of data on the distribution of the rare spider species Gnaphosa badia (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) is presented. Until recently, this species had been recorded in the Carpathian Mountains at two localities: Mt. Chorna Hora (Ukraine, Volca- nic Ridge) and the Rodna Mountains (Romania). It was subsequently discovered that the species occurs within the subalpine and alpine zones of the Ukrainian (Eastern) Carpathians, in the Сhornohora and Rakhiv Mountain massifs. Part of the material was included in a checklist of the spiders of the Chornohora Mountain massif. The species compositions of the alpine and subalpine spider communities, which include G. badia, are given. The total distribution of the species is discussed and shown on a map. Keywords: alpine zone, Chornohora massif, Rakhiv massif, spider, Ukraine Zusammenfassung. Gnaphosa badia (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in den Ukrainischen Karpaten mit Anmerkungen zu ihrer Verbrei- tung. Die Verbreitung der seltenen Spinnenart Gnaphosa badia (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) wird analysiert. Bisher wurde die Art in den Karpaten an zwei Orten erfasst: auf dem Chorna Hora (Ukraine, Vihorlat-Gutin/Volcanic Ridge/Vulkanrücken) und im Rodna- Gebirge (Rumänien). Nun wurde sie auch in der subalpinen und alpinen Zone der ukrainischen Ostkarpaten, im Chornohora Gebirgs- massif und den Rakhiv-Bergen, gefangen. Das Material war zum Teil schon in die Checkliste des Chornohora Gebirgsmassifs enthalten. Die Artenzusammensetzungen der alpinen und subalpinen Spinnengesellschaften, die mit G. badia vorkommen, werden gezeigt. Die Gesamtverbreitung der Art wird diskutiert und in einer Karte dargestellt. Резюме. Gnaphosa badia ( Araneae: Gnaphosidae ) в Українських Карпатах із зауваженнями щодо його поширення. Робота базується на аналізі даних про поширення рідкісного виду павуків – Gnaphosa badia (L. Koch, 1866) (Araneae: Gnapho- sidae). Донедавна вид був відомий для Карпатської гірської системи лише з двох локалітетів, зокрема одного в Україні: Чорна Гора (дані сумнівні) та одного в Румунії: гори Родна. З’ясовано, що вид трапляється у межах субальпійського та альпійського поясів Українських (Східних) Карпат – Чорногори та Рахівських гір. Частина матеріалів цієї статті увійшла до анотованого списку Чорногори. Наведено різноманіття угруповань павуків альпійського та субальпійського поясів, до складу яких належить Gnapho- sa badia. Anna Hirna, Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians NAS of Ukraine, 4 Kozelnytska St., Lviv, 79026, Ukraine; E-mail: ahirna@i.ua submitted 23.1.2019, accepted 1.3.2019, online 25.3.2019