The first record of Menemerus fagei Berland & Millot 1941 (Araneae, Salticidae) from the Maltese Islands is reported and discussed. It is the 20th jumping spider species for Malta and a new record for Europe.

book review: Kirill G Mikhailov 2013 The spiders (Arachnida: Aranei) of Russia and adjacent countries: a non-annotated checklist

book review: David Penney (Ed) 2013 Spider research in the 21st century – trends and perspectives

congress report

congress report

The pseudoscorpion genus Megachernes is recorded for the first time in Iran. Adults and protonymphs of Megachernes pavlovskyi Redikorzev, 1949 were found in a porcupine nest and under stones in the Deh Sheikh (Pataveh) cave, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Southwest Iran. A short description of the species is provided, based on the main morphological and morphometric characters of the adults.

The spider collection (Arachnida: Araneae) from Albania and Kosovo in the Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main is reviewed. A total of 122 adult specimens were found belonging to 73 species. Records of 48 species for Albania and 28 species for Kosovo, 20 of them new to Kosovo, are presented. Furthermore there are seven new country records for Albania: Platnickina nigropunctata, Erigone remota, Tenuiphantes tenebricola, Pardosa agrestis, Callobius claustrarius and Zelotes femellus). Additionally, Pardosa cavannae is the first record for the Balkan Peninsula. So far 381 species are known for Albania. A total of 106 species is known from Kosovo now; a list of the 86 spider species formerly known to Kosovo is included.

correction

Congress invitation

A survey on sensory organs of both sexes of the harvestman Dicranopalpus ramosus classifies structure and frequency of campaniform sensilla, falciform setae, sensilla basiconica, slit sensilla, solenidia, spines, sensilla chaetica, trichomes (simple hairs) and plumose setae. Sensilla are equally distributed on the pedipalp tarsi of both males and females, but females show higher counts of campaniform and falciform setae than males. Females furthermore have about 1000 glandular plumose setae on each pedipalp, that at the same positions in males are replaced by sensilla chaetica. The walking legs of both sexes show a similar distribution of sensory organs, with females showing more sensilla basiconica at the legs I and II and more solenidia on the first pair of legs. Males have a large number of bipterate setae (about 2200 per specimen) at the metatarsi and tarsi of the third and fourth pair of legs. In females these are replaced by simple hairs. Although females show a similar (or slightly higher) number of leg sensilla than males, their density is higher due to their shorter legs. In both sexes the second pair of legs has the largest number of falciform setae, sensilla basiconica, chaetica and solenidia, followed by the legs I, III and IV. The first pair of legs has the highest density of falciform setae, sensilla basiconica and solenidia, followed by the legs II, III and IV. The genital operculum, sternites and tergites show a multitude of slit sensilla. The slit sensilla of the genital operculum and sternites are associated with insertion plaques of muscles operating the penis/ovipositor and regulating opisthosomal volume and hemolymph-pressure.

Im Rahmen einer Untersuchung der Sinnesorgane beider Geschlechter der Weberknechtart Dicranopalpus ramosus werden die Struktur und Anzahl der Kuppelsensillen (campaniform), sichelformigen Borsten (falciforme Setae), Riechkegel (Sensilla basiconica), Spaltsensillen, Solenidien (röhrenförmige Setae) und Dornen sowie der Haarsensillen (Sensilla chaetica), Trichome (einfache Haare) und federförmige Haare (plumose Setae) beschrieben. Die Pedipalpen-Tarsen der männlichen und weiblichen Tiere weisen identische Verteilungen der Sensillen auf, wobei die Weibchen mehr Kuppelsensillen und sichelförmige Borsten besitzen als die Männchen. Weiterhin konnte festgestellt werden, dass auf jedem weiblichen Pedipalpus 1000 gefiederte Drüsenhaare (glanduläre plumose Setae) vorkommen, wohingegen bei den Männchen an den gleichen Stellen Haarsensillen vorgefunden werden. Die Beine beider Geschlechter weisen eine ähnliche Verteilung der Sinnesorgane auf, wobei Weibchen mehr Riechkegel in den Beinen I und II und mehr Solenidien am ersten Beinpaar aufweisen. männliche Tiere besitzen eine große Anzahl zweiflügeliger Borsten (bipterate Setae) (insgesamt ca. 2200 pro Tier) auf den Metatarsen und Tarsen des dritten und vierten Beinpaares . An gleicher Stelle sind bei weiblichen Tieren einfache Haare vorzufinden. Weibchen besitzen eine ähnliche (oder höhere) Anzahl an Beinsensillen als Männchen. Da die Beine der weiblichen Tiere jedoch kürzer sind, stehen die Beinsensillen bei ihnen dichter. In beiden Geschlechtern weisen die zweiten Beinpaare die größte Anzahl an sichelförmigen Borsten, Riechkegeln, Haarsensillen und Solenidien auf, gefolgt von den ersten, dritten und vierten Beinpaaren. Auf den ersten Beinpaaren erreichen die sichelformigen Borsten, Riechkegel und Solenidien die höchste Dichte, gefolgt von den zweiten, dritten und vierten Beinpaaren. Das Genitaloperculum, die Sternite und Tergite weisen eine Vielzahl von Spaltsensillen auf. Die Spaltsensillen des Genitaloperculums und der Sternite sind mit Muskelansätzen verbunden. Diese Muskeln steuern Penis bzw. Ovipositor und regeln das Opisthosoma-Volumen und den Hämolymph-Druck.

We present data and remarks on the history and contents of the whip spider collection housed in the Natural History Museum of Vienna, Austria. The collection comprises a total of 167 specimens from 4 families, 10 genera and 27 species. It includes types of four species: Charinus ioanniticus (Kritscher, 1959), Damon brachialis Weygoldt, 1999, Phrynus parvulus (Pocock, 1902) and Paraphrynus mexicanus (Bilimek, 1867). Short notes on interesting objects and former curators are provided as well as an appendix with a list of species kept alive by Michael Seiter.

Wir präsentieren Daten und Anmerkungen zur Geschichte und dem Inhalt der Geißelspinnen-Sammlung des Naturhistorischen Museums Wien, Österreich. Die Sammlung umfasst 167 Individuen aus 4 Familien, 10 Gattungen und 27 Arten und beinhaltet Typen von 4 Arten: Charinus ioanniticus (Kritscher, 1959), Damon brachialis Weygoldt, 1999, Phrynus parvulus (Pocock, 1902) und Paraphrynus mexicanus (Bilimek, 1867). Die Angaben werden durch kurze Anmerkungen zu interessanten Objekten und früheren Kuratoren sowie einem Appendix mit der Liste der von Michael Seiter lebend gehaltenen Arten ergänzt.

Preface to the section of the Proceedings of the 27th European Congress of Arachnology, Ljubljana, 2012 Sept. 2-7

The first records for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, of the species Mermessus trilobatus, Parasteatoda tabulata and Araniella inconspicua are provided, together with noteworthy occurences of the rare species Ero tuberculata, Jacksonella falconeri, Philodromus histrio and Oxyopes ramosus.

The taxonomic status and distribution of the poorly known gnaphosid species Zelotes strandi (Nosek, 1905) is clarified, discussed and mapped on the basis of both the holotype (a single female from Turkey) and newly collected material (males and females from Bulgaria). This species was originally described from the island of Prinkipo (= Büyükada, District of Istanbul, Turkey) and the holotype is currently housed in the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna. Both sexes are here diagnosed and illustrated, whereby the male is described for the first time.

Spiders were collected by pitfall traps in the south-western archipelago of Finland. Wooded study habitats on a small-sized (1.2 km2) island were: 1) natural open ash grove, 2) dense mixed grove (old overgrown wooded meadow), 3) wooded aspen pasture and 4) wooded meadow, both restored ten years earlier, 5) natural wooded meadow. Highest species and family numbers were found at the natural sites (1 and 5) and the lowest in the dense grove (site 2). Linyphiidae dominated, both at species and individual level, in the groves. Lycosidae were abundant on the wooded meadows and Gnaphosidae on the wooded pasture. The highest faunal similarities were between the groves (70 % species in common) and between the wooded meadows (64 %). The lowest similarity was found between the dense grove (17 %) and the ash grove (23 %) with the aspen pasture. Ten years after clearing, sites 3 and 4 had diverse spider faunas. The fauna at site 4 resembled that on the corresponding natural site (5), thus showing restoration success. Altogether 84 species of spiders were caught. The proportion of Gnaphosidae (16 species found) is high. Most species found in the study are common in south-western Finland and many occur across the whole country. Pardosa lugubris was most dominant at three sites, P. pullata and Diplostyla concolor both at one site. Two species, Enoplognatha thoracica and Micaria fulgens, are included in the Finnish Red Data Book.

A detailed morphological account of the male copulatory organs of three species of ground spiders, Sergiolus capulatus, Herpyllus propinquus and Callilepis pluto (Araneae, Gnaphosidae), is presented. The large sclerites (subtegulum, tegulum and embolus) appear to be homologous in all spiders. Sergiolus and Zelanda have a plesiomorphic palp organization. The increased complexity in the male bulb organization creates a locking mechanism that fixes the male palp position during intercourse in Callilepis, as well as in Encoptarthria, Trachyzelotes and Zelotes. The palp of Herpyllus, together with Anzacia, Drassodes and Intruda, demonstrates progressive modification of the male bulb.