The family name Sparassidae is recognized as available and valid according to the rules of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature. Synonymies, diagnoses and descriptions are given for the family, subfamily, type genus and type species. The type species of Sparassus is assigned. Sparassus is synonymised with Micrommata.

The first rhinoceros of the post-roman era reached Europe in 1513. Albrecht Dürer, who had not seen the animal himself, made a woodcut that contained several odd features. This woodcut determined the appearance of rhinocerus for the next two centuries. - The first reports on the food of Eresus sp., citing tiger beetles and dung-beetles as principal prey items, had a somewhat similar fate, i.e. they were accepted as facts for more than half a century. - The present study, performed in Valais, Switzerland, shows E. cinnaberinus to have a much broader prey spectrum: Beetles, half of them carabids, constitued 42%, ants 36%, other insects 17%; 3% were made up by arthropods other than insects. No tiger beetles or dung-beetles were found. - It can be concluded that even numerous repetitions in textbooks may not reflect the true story.

In 1995 a fire in a pine forest in the Odenwald (Baden-Württemberg) in South-West Germany burned for about one day. In the subsequent years after the fire the resettlement of the burned pine forest by harvestmen was observed. A neighbouring spruce thickening and a beech forest were chosen as reference points. As early as the third year after the fire the harvestmen communities of the burned pine forest and the other forests resembled each other very strongly. However the communities of the burned pine forest and spruce thickening were more similar than those of the burned pine forest and beech forest. The occurence of hygrophilous species on the open burned pine forest is explained by waterthawing processes and lower evaporation.

For 40 years Ischyropsalis hellwigi hellwigi has been known in Baden-Württemberg. Whereas most previous records rely only on single specimens, numerous individuals were recorded during a study in three forest areas in northern Black Forest and southern Odenwald. A total of 37 specimen were caught by pitfall trapping in the natural forest "Wilder See" (an old forest without human impact), in a forest with human impact near "Hornisgrinde", which is similar in terms of exposition, temperature and structure, and in a succession area after a forest fire near Heidelberg. According to these localities, Ischyropsalis hellwigi hellwigi seems to have a broader tolerance to climatic factors than previously thought. All three localities differ widely in terms of forest type, ground vegetation, temperature and light exposure. Whether it is appropriate to conclude the relevant microhabitat conditions for this species from the characteristics of the trapping localities is discussed. The phenology of Ischyropsalis hellwigi hellwigi is described from two areas in northern Black Forest and southern Odenwald. The main period of activity at both localities was August, similar to records from Northwest Germany. From theses results it is concluded that therecently introduced term "natural stage indicator" might be inappropriate for Ischyropsalis hellwigi hellwigi. The species is not restsricted to forests with fallen wood on the surface, as long other habitat elements provide a hiding place with balances microclimate conditions. In order to clarify the distribution of Ischyropsalis hellwigi hellwigi in Germany, the authors request information about new records of this species.

Spiders at lettuce fields near Kitzingen (Lower Frankonia, Bavaria, Germany)

Species lists of spiders (Araneae) collected in the urban region of Mainz (Germany)

book review: Goertz, D.: On the refuge function of relics of flood plain woods in the man-made landscape of the central Saale valley. Spider associations as model groups for habitat assessment.

book review: Haeberli, S.: Characterisation of anti-bacterial peptides from the venom of Cupiennius salei (Araneae: Ctenidae).

correct citing of the recent catalogue by Platnick

Supplement to the short note by T. Blick (1998) in Arachnologische Mitteilungen 15: 54-62

internet, spiders of Central Europe

book review: Frieder Sauer und Jörg Wunderlich: Die schönsten Spinnen nach Farbfotos erkannt

book review: Selden, P.A. (Hrsg.): Porceedings of the 17th European Colloquium of Arachnology. Edinburgh 1997

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