Three-dimensional modelling has shown its importance in many fields, including zoological systematics. It is difficult to distinguish females of Porrhomma egeria Simon, 1884 and P. campbelli F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1894 according to only dorsal and ventral views of the vulva. The same is true for the pair P. microps (Roewer, 1931) and P. profundum Dahl, 1939. A caudal view is necessary to distinguish the vulvae of these species pairs. A 3D model combines all important views of the female genitalia (ventral, dorsal, lateral and caudal) into a single unit.

The jumping spider Mexcala monstrata Wesołowska & van Harten, 1994 is recorded for the first time from Egypt and Africa. The record is based only on male specimens. It is the second species of the genus Mexcala in Egypt after Mexcala nigrocyanea (Simon, 1886) known from the Siwa Oasis.

The pholcid spider Spermophora senoculata (Dugès, 1836) is recorded for the first time on the Mediterranean Island of Sicily (Italy) from indoor heated and non-heated habitats of two cities. This species is associated with mostly anthropogenic habitats around the globe. Uncertainty remains about where its native distribution range is located.

Two new specimens of laniatorid harvestmen (Opiliones: Laniatores) from Eocene (ca. 44–49 Ma) Baltic amber are described. One is clearly adult and assignable to Proholoscotolemon nemastomoides (Koch & Berendt, 1854) from the family Cladonychiidae. The second, smaller, specimen is treated as cf. Proholoscotolemon sp., but probably represents a juvenile instar of P. nemastomoides and allows us to infer at least part of the ontogenetic sequence for Baltic amber laniatorids. The juvenile differs from the adult in the relative size of the body, weaker pedipalpal spination and the absence of tarsomeres subdividing the tarsi at the ends of the legs. Of particular note is the presence of unbranched claws at the tips of legs III–IV. This was unexpected given that juveniles of extant cladonychiids usually have four to six branches on these claws; a condition also thought to be plesiomorphic for this, and some related families.

Amblypygids, commonly known as whip spiders, are one of the small orders of Arachnida with a global distribution in the tropical and subtropical regions. Amblypygids are essentially absent from temperate areas, with only three species known from the Western Palaearctic. Here, we expand the known distribution of Charinus ioanniticus (Kritscher, 1959) with a new record from Athens, Greece, which is the first time the species has been found in continental Europe. The new record could either be the result of accidental human transportation or the actual species distribution that is wider than previously expected. An updated map with the records of C. oanniticus is also provided.

Im Dezember 2018 stellte die Feuerwehr in einem Supermarkt in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, eine exotische Spinne sicher. Die Art wurde als die mediterrane Sparasside Olios argelasius (Walckenaer, 1806) identifiziert, die weder in den Tropen noch in Mitteleuropa beheimatet ist.

The present catalogue lists data for a total of 176 specimens belonging to 18 species in the pseudoscorpion collection of the Czech arachnologist František Miller (1902–1983), housed in the National Museum in Prague. The material was collected during 1940–1976 in the modern-day Czech Republic and Slovakia. For these two countries, especially noteworthy items are species such as Mesochelifer ressli, Rhacochelifer euboicus, Neobisium brevidigitatum and Neobisium cf. jugorum.

This study focuses on the comparison of two frequent ground-dwelling spider collecting methods, pitfall trapping and D-Vac suction sampling, in relation to artificial gap openings of a forest stand in West-Hungary. With pitfall traps, we collected 928 specimens, representing 34 species. With suction sampling, we collected 1254 specimens, belonging to 41 species. Examining the distribution of the communities, both sampling methods showed higher spider densities in forest gaps than in the forest stand. On average, the pitfall trapping accessed larger-sized spider species. The hunting and nocturnal spiders were also represented in the pitfall samples, while the D-Vac method detected more web builders. The ordination analysis showed that the two methods accessed different communities. Thus, we suggest their combined use.

Strand considered each deviation of specimens from the original description in colouration, body size and shape, eye pattern or leg spination as sufficient to describe infraspecific taxa such as subspecies, varieties, forms and aberrations. Following this problematic approach, he erected 165 infraspecific names which may reflect phenetics rather than evolutionary history. The aim of this paper is to review the 102 still valid names according to current taxonomic standards. Here we declare 39 subspecies as new synonyms of the nominate form, we confirm 10 previously overlooked synonymies of subspecies with the nominate form, and 26 taxa are nomina dubia (some described from juveniles or type material destroyed afterwards). In 24 cases we recommend in-depth taxonomic studies on subspecies and species complexes (subspecies and species inquirenda), in 3 cases we concluded on stat. nov.

In detail, we propose the following changes: Acanthoctenus impar pygmaeus Strand, 1909 = Nothroctenus marshi (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) syn. nov.; Agelena jumbo kiwuensis Strand, 1913 = Mistaria kiwuensis (Strand, 1913) stat. nov.; Aranea börneri clavimacula Strand, 1907 = Araneus boerneri (Strand, 1907) syn. nov.; Aranea börneri obscurella Strand, 1907 = Araneus boerneri (Strand, 1907) syn. nov.; Aranea dehaani octopunctigera Strand, 1911 = Parawixia dehaani octopunctigera (Strand, 1911) subspecies inquirenda; Aranea dehaani pygituberculata Strand, 1911 = Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall, 1859) syn. nov.; Aranea dehaani quadripunctigera Strand, 1911 = Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall, 1859) syn. nov.; Aranea rufipalpis fuscinotum Strand, 1908 = Neoscona fuscinotum (Strand, 1908) comb. nov.; Aranea rufipalpis nigrodecorata Strand, 1908 = nomen dubium (in Neoscona); Aranea rufipalpis punctipedella Strand, 1908 = nomen dubium (in Neoscona); Aranea rufipalpis strigatella Strand, 1908 = Neoscona strigatella (Strand, 1908) comb. nov.; Aranea theisi feisiana Strand, 1911 = Neoscona theisi syn. nov.; Aranea triangula mensamontella Strand, 1907 = Neoscona triangula (Keyserling, 1864) syn. nov.; Asagena tristis ruwenzorica Strand, 1913 = nomen dubium; Camaricus nigrotesselatus lineitarsus Strand, 1907 = nomen dubium; Clubiona abbajensis karisimbiensis Strand, 1916 = Clubiona abbajensis Strand, 1906 syn. nov.; Clubiona abbajensis maxima Strand, 1906 = nomen dubium; Corinna sanguinea inquirenda Strand, 1906 = Corinna sanguinea Strand, 1906 syn. nov.; Ctenus peregrinus sapperi Strand, 1916 = Ctenus peregrinus F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 syn. nov.; Cyrtarachne tricolor aruana Strand, 1911 = Cyrtarachne tricolor (Doleschall, 1859) syn. nov.; Cyrtophora citricola abessinensis Strand, 1906 = Cyrtophora citricola (Forsskål, 1775) syn. nov.; “This abstract has been truncated. To view the complete abstract please download the PDF”

Städte können zum Erhalt der Biodiversität beitragen, da sie oft wertvolle Ersatzlebensräume für Tiere und insbesondere Invertebraten bieten. In diesem Zusammenhang hat Berlin - als grüne Hauptstadt - ein großes Potenzial, so dass Biodiversitätserhebungen zur Erhöhung der Datenverfügbarkeit zwingend erforderlich sind. Vor allem städtische Trockenrasen können eine hohe Diversität aufweisen, wurden aber bisher nur sporadisch untersucht. Die vorliegende Studie gibt eine erste umfassende Artenliste für Spinnen in Trockenrasen Berlins und dem angrenzenden Brandenburg. Insgesamt wurden im Jahre 2017 mittels Bodenfallen 52 Standorte befangen. Die Untersuchung erbrachte 194 Arten aus 18581 Individuen. Von den 194 Arten sind 33 Arten in Berlin gefährdet, von diesen gelten neun Arten als ausgestorben. Weiterhin konnten 18 Arten mit einem Gefährdungsstatus in Brandenburg nachgewiesen werden. Talavera aperta wurde erstmals in Berlin erfasst und Metapanamomops kaestneri sowie Sibianor tantulus sind bundesweit sehr selten. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Städte ein enormes Potenzial für den regionalen und landesweiten Biodiversitätsschutz haben können.

Im Rahmen der Erfassung der Spinnen im 2014 gegründeten Nationalpark Schwarzwald wurden im Jahr 2017 Blockhalden als Habitat der Blockhalden-Stachelwolfspinne (Acantholycosa norvegica sudetica (L. Koch, 1875)) mit Bodenfallen untersucht. Da die Art in allen 13 untersuchten Blockhalden in und am Rand des Nationalparks im Nordschwarzwald in hohen Dichten erfasst wurde, wurden 2018 vier weitere Blockhalden aufgesucht um über Beobachtungen, Hand- und Bodenfallenfänge Vorkommen der Blockhaldenwolfspinne zu belegen. Diese Fänge erbrachten neben wichtigen Daten zu dieser Art weitere faunistisch und biogeographisch interessante Nachweise bisher selten gefundener Arten. Neunachweise für Deutschland stellen die Funde von Philodromus laricium Simon, 1875 und Troxochrota scabra Kulczyński, 1894 dar. Bisher noch nicht in Baden-Württemberg nachgewiesen waren Clubiona alpicola Kulczyński, 1882, Sittisax saxicola (C. L. Koch, 1846), Calositticus rupicola (C. L. Koch, 1837), Evansia merens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 und Megalepthypantes collinus (L. Koch, 1872). Bisher nur aus dem alpinen Gebirgssystem bekannt war Pardosa nigra (C. L. Koch, 1834). Interessant sind Funde von Arten, die lange Zeit nicht mehr oder insgesamt selten gesammelt wurden: Clubiona frutetorum L. Koch, 1867, Echemus angustifrons (Westring, 1861), Episinus maculipes Cavanna, 1876, Lepthyphantes notabilis Kulczyński, 1887, Rugathodes bellicosus (Simon, 1873), Sagana rutilans Thorell, 1875, Thanatus sabulosus (Menge, 1875), Theridion betteni Wiehle, 1960, Thyreosthenius biovatus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875), Thyreosthenius parasiticus (Westring, 1851), Trichoncus affinis Kulczyński, 1894. Erwähnenswert erscheinen darüber hinaus regelmäßige Fänge von Gnaphosa bicolor (Hahn, 1833).

Spiders from the steppe habitats of the Pláně Nature Monument (Czech Republic) were investigated. The spiders were samdoi: 10.30963/aramit5812 pled using pitfall traps and through sweeping of the herb vegetation. In total, 11634 individuals from 154 species in 88 genera from 25 families were recorded. Numerous threatened species listed in the Red List of the Czech spiders were found (CR – 1, EN – 1, VU – 11, LC – 23). 36 mainly xerothermic species were recorded, representing a valuable arachnofauna typical for the Pannonian Region. However, the studied area does not belong to this particular region. Several findings represent the northernmost occurrences of rare thermophilic spiders in the Czech Republic. Ten species (Dysdera moravica, Megalepthyphantes pseudocollinus, Trichoncus affinis, Porrhomma errans, Alopecosa striatipes, Cheiracanthium oncognathum, Civizelotes pygmaeus, Zelotes aeneus, Thanatus arenarius, Talavera aperta) are discussed in details and their records in the Czech Republic are mapped. Suggestions regarding the management of the area are given to improve the conditions for a high and valuable biodiversity.

Among social spiders, cooperation is a key characteristic behaviour. Cooperation in prey capture increases the probability of successful prey capture and to some extent reduces the individual costs associated with foraging. We assessed spider cooperation in prey capture under natural conditions in relation to the number of spiders in the colony and the type and size of the prey captured by the social spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 (Araneae: Eresidae). First, we determined natural prey in the spider webs and found that beetles (Coleoptera) were the most frequent prey followed by grasshoppers (Orthoptera). These two prey types were then used to study the cooperative hunting behaviour of this spider. We investigated prey capture frequency, recruitment and immobilization time when spiders are more active in the mornings and less active around midday. The study revealed that the immobilization time and recruitment time were shorter when hunting beetles, the smaller sized prey, while larger numbers of spiders were recruited in response to grasshoppers, the larger prey. The study concluded that cooperative behaviour in S. sarasinorum depends on the size of prey present.