A female specimen of the cribellate spider species Badumna longinqua (L. Koch, 1867) was found in a 'do-it-yourself-store' in Berlin. The species is of Australian origin and has been introduced into New Zealand, Japan, Uruguay and California. This is the first record of a representative of the family Desidae from Europe. B. longinqua lives in and around houses and is apparently capable of establishing itself in Europe.

Trogulus banaticus Avram, 1971 is characterised and recorded as new for Slovenia. This species was previously mistaken for T. coriziformis C. L. Koch, 1839 and T. graecus Dahl, 1903 which were later rejected from the Slovenian fauna. T. banaticus is compared with the similar, and partly sympatric, T. tingiformis C. L. Koch, 1847 with which it has often been confused. A table of distinguishing characters for both species is provided, and the ecology of T. banaticus and its general distribution are discussed.

The pseudoscorpion Dendrochernes cyrneus (L. Koch, 1873) is recorded for the first time in Brandenburg (Germany). The specimen was found in the ancient park of Sanssouci under the bark of a branch of a beech tree. The suitability of D. cyrneus as an indicator species for old-growth woodlands is discussed.

This paper presents new data, characteristic features, standard body measurements and illustrations of the rare European linyphiid spider Glyphesis taoplesius Wunderlich, 1969; which is recorded here for the first time in Slovakia. The species was found with high abundance in pitfall traps exposed in a floodplain forest near a water reservoir in the lowland Podunajská rovina.

First records of the synanthropic spiders Steatoda grossa for Saxony as well as Nesticodes rufipes and Uloborus plumipes for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Araneae, Theridiidae, Uloboridae)

The pseudoscorpions Chthonius (Chthonius) carinthiacus Beier, 1951 and Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) tuberculatus Hadži, 1937, are recorded for the first time from Slovakia. An illustrated description of these species is provided based on their morphological and morphometric characters. The descriptions of the species offer an update on the variability of their morphological and morphometric characters.

The epigeic spider fauna in a partially abandoned quarry in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg/ Donau (Austria: Lower Austria) was examined. Six study sites at different stages of abandonment were sampled using pitfall traps in a period from 27 March to 29 October 2006. In total, 79 species were caught comprising 845 adult individuals from 18 families. Twenty-eight species were classified as Red list taxa according to the Red lists of the Czech Republic and/or Slovakia. The poorly-known spider species Thanatus pictus L. Koch, 1881 and Xysticus embriki Kolosváry, 1935 are presented in more detail. Comparison of the six spider assemblages in the quarry with 16 geographically adjacent spider assemblages in the area of the “Parndorfer Platte” shows a clear succession within the ruderal study sites. These begin with the most recent to the oldest site, and continue to well-managed dry grasslands, further developing to scrub grasslands and hedges, and eventually to natural forests in the region.

The distribution of the poorly known Central Asian wolf-spider Oculicosa supermirabilis Zyuzin, 1993 is clarified, discussed and mapped on the basis of both original and literature-derived data. The species is currently known from the Turan Lowland between the 41st and 43rd degrees of latitude north; its distribution coincides with that of the grey-brown desert soil and lies within the geobotanical sub-zone of southern deserts. Both sexes are also illustrated and diagnosed.

book review: Jörg Wunderlich (Ed.) (2011): Extant and fossil spiders (Araneae). Heutige und fossile Spinnen.

Reply to the book review by Y. Marusik on „Jörg Wunderlich (Ed.) (2011): Extant and fossil spiders (Araneae). Heutige und fossile Spinnen“

obituary, bibliography, Franz Ressl

congress report

congress report

European Spider of the Year 2012