We collected 6251 adult epigeic spiders from the dwarf-shrub heath to subalpine coniferous forest on Alp Flix (CH, canton Grisons, 1950 m) between May 2005 and May 2006 using pitfall traps. Total species richness and activity density of all species decreased from the open land to the forest, although this pattern varied according to family. The distribution of the 102 species found indicates that the small area around a single tree at the timberline provides habitats for both open land and forest spider species as well as some possible timberline specialists. Five species were new to the canton Grisons: Centromerita bicolor, Centromerita concinna, Hilaira excisa, Meioneta alpica and Tallusia experta. Three species showed remarkable morphological characteristics and were analysed in more detail. We found males of Pelecopsis radicicola without the characteristic longitudinal depression on the raised carapace. It is shown that the males of Meioneta alpica have a considerably variable lamella characteristica, which is nevertheless distinct from the sister species Meioneta ressli. Because we found intermediate forms of the head region described for Metopobactrus prominulus and M. schenkeli, respectively, M. schenkeli is considered a syn. nov. of M. prominulus. This study shows that the known distribution and taxonomic status of various spider taxa in the Central Alps are still incomplete and further work on arthropods in remote areas should be strongly encouraged.

book review: Bernard Le Peru (2007): Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France

book review, plagiarism

Since about the year 2000 a hitherto unidentified species of the genus Leiobunum C. L. Koch, 1839, has rapidly invaded central and western Europe. Records are known from The Netherlands (probably the country of first occurrence in Europe), Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This introduced species, until now, mainly inhabits walls of buildings and rocky environments. Adults characteristically aggregate during daytime into groups of up to 1.000 individuals. The species is described and details on its present distribution, habitat preference, phenology and behaviour are presented.

obituary, bibliography, Joachim Adis

European Spider of the Year 2008

memorial award, Konrad-Thaler-Gedächtnispreis

congress report

On the occasion of the anniversary of C.A. Clerck's book "Swedish spiders" the paper deals with the beginnings of spider taxonomy, Clerck's life (1709-1765) and work, and P. Bonnet's successful campaign for the validation of species names given by Clerck.

A female of the dwarf sheet spider Hahnia picta Kulczynski, 1897 was found in an old castle park in Berlin (Germany). All published records as well as unpublished records from Austria are listed and mapped. This species is rarely recorded. Its distribution is confined to Europe. H. picta seems to live exclusively under the bark of old deciduous trees.

The orb-web spider Cyclosa oculata (Walckenaer, 1802) was found at eleven localities in north-western Switzerland. All records were from wildflower strips ("Buntbrachen") with a relatively high proportion of dried vegetation from the previous year, a relatively low vegetation height and a low proportion of grasses in the vegetation. C. oculata built its vertical orb-web near the ground, deep in the vegetation. Among ecribellate orb-web spiders in Central Europe, C. oculata is unique because it sometimes builds rudimentary webs on which it stays, because it builds its cocoons into the web, and because its stabilimentum is long-lasting and consists largely of debris. Based on our observations, we deduce that the stabilimentum of C. oculata serves as camouflage.

The first record of the Mediterranean spider Zelotes tenuis (L. Koch, 1866) in Austria (Burgenland, Leithaprodersdorf ) was made in a small meadow strip which is situated between a moist ditch and a small grassy road verge. The site is partly shaded by adjacent trees and shrubs. Notes are given on the records, zoogeography and ecology of Z. tenuis.

Research was carried out on lake islands in the Mazurian region of NE Poland in 2004. During the study, 8546 specimens of 190 spider species were caught by Barber traps. One male of Emblyna brevidens (Kulczynski, 1897) was found on an island of Lake Wigry (Wigry National Park). This site was situated on the edge of a peat bog with Salicetum pentandro-cinereae, surrounded by wet alder forest. For the first time complete diagnostic drawings and measurements for both sexes of E. brevidens from Poland are given.

N. bidentatum Roewer, 1914 was found at two places in Germany: first on the island “Harriersand” in the Weser river (Lower Saxony), second on the banks of the river Elbe in the Elbsandsteingebirge (Saxony). Adjacent to the latter locality an occurrence in the Czech Republic could be located close to the German/Czech border in the floodplain of the river Elbe as well. These records are the first for Germany and the Czech Republic. They enlarge the distribution area of N. bidentatum remarkably in both a northern and a western direction. The two populations show conspicuous differences in the form of the male cheliceral apophysis, which assigns them to the subspecies bidentatum Roewer, 1914 (in Lower Saxony) and sparsum Gruber & Martens, 1968 (in Saxony and the Czech Republik respectively). Differences, morphological characters and variability of the populations are illustrated. Relationships, abundance, ecology and provenance are discussed. N. dentigerum Canestrini, 1873 is recorded in Saxony for the first time. New records of N. triste C. L. Koch, 1835 and N. lugubre (Müller, 1776) are given.

Chthonius heterodactylus Tömösváry, 1882 is recorded for the first time from the Czech Republic (Hranická chasm). The occurence of this Carpathian species in Central Europe is discussed and the positions of the type localities are corrected.

book review: Sven Almquist (2007): Swedish Araneae, part 2 – families Dictynidae to Salticidae.

book review: Alain Canard (2005): Catalogue of spider species from Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Parts I & II.