Porodica Nemesiidae (Arthropoda, Arachnida) u Hrvatskoj s naglaskom na rod Brachythele

S obzirom na jednu od glavnih podjela paukova, skupina Mygalomorphae je zbog njihove skrovitosti, endemičnosti te slabo diferenciranih determinacijskih struktura slabije istražena nego skupina Araneomorphae. Iako nisu toliko mnogobrojni i raznoliki poput Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae mogu dati uvid u evolucijski razvoj paukova upravo zbog njihove endemičnosti i specifičnosti. Za razliku od Araneomorphae koji imaju dobro razvijene mehanizme rasprostranjivanja, Mygalomorphae ostaju ''zaključani'' u svom izvorištu, te su kao takvi mnogo značajniji za razumijevanje evolucije pauka. U ovom radu opisana je skupina Mygalomorphae te njena pojavnost u Hrvatskoj, zajedno sa problematikom oko njene filogenije te determinacije rodova koji su prisutni u Hrvatskoj.Regarding one of the main classifications of spiders, taxon Mygalomorphae has not been studied as its counterpart taxon Araneomorphae due to its reclusiveness, poor differentation of morphological characteristics and the fact that large number of Mygalomorphae species are endemic. Although they’re not as numerous or diverse in species as Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae can give us insight into the evolution of spiders precisely because of their reclusiveness and uniqueness. While Araneomorphae have effective mechanisms for dispersal, Mygalomorphae spiders tend to be ‘’locked up’’ in their centers of origin, thus being more significant in overall understanding of spider evolution. This paper presents overview of the main Mygalomorphae characteristics, as well as Mygalomorphae species of Croatia, along with the issue of their phylogeny, and problems that arise with their determination

A revision of the spider genus Raveniola (Araneae, Nemesiidae). I. Species from Western Asia

WOS: 000424323000001The genus Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 is found to be represented in Western Asia by 16 species: male female R. adjarica sp. nov. (Georgia), male R. anadolu sp. nov. (Turkey), male R. arthuri Kunt & Yagmur, 2010 (Turkey), male R. birecikensis sp. nov. (Turkey), male female R. dunini sp. nov. (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran), male female R. hyrcanica Dunin, 1988 (Azerbaijan),male R. marusiki sp. nov. (Iran), male R. mazandaranica Marusik, Zamani & Mirshamsi, 2014 (Iran), male female R. micropa (Ausserer, 1871) (Turkey), female R. nana sp. nov. (Turkey), male female R. niedermeyeri (Brignoli, 1972) (Iran), male female R. pontica (Spassky, 1937) (Russia, Georgia), female R. sinani sp. nov. (Turkey), male female R. turcica sp. nov. (Turkey), male female R. vonwicki Zonstein, 2000 (Iran) and male female R. zaitzevi (Charitonov, 1948) (Azerbaijan, Georgia) = female Brachythele recki Mcheidze, 1983, syn. nov. Eight species are described as new; others are redescribed from types and/or conspecific material. Males of R. micropa and R. zaitzevi, hitherto unknown, are described for the first time. Data on the variability, relationships, distribution and ecology of all considered species are also provided.Ministry of Absorption, IsraelWe thank Yuri Marusik (Institute for Biological Problems of the North, Magadan), Vladimir Ovcharenko (the former curator of the ZISP spider collection), Peter Schwendinger (MHNG), Shuqiang Li (ICAZ), Peter Jager and Julia Altmann (SMF), Nikolai Pakhorukov (the former curator of the MZPU spider collection), Alexander Koval (VIZR), the late Pyotr Dunin (Baku, Azerbaijan, later Tolyatti, Russia), Kirill Mikhailov (ZMMU), Jurgen Gruber (the former curator of the NMW spider collection), Christine Rollard and Elise-Anne LeGuin (MNHN), and Laura Leibensperger (MCZ) for providing nemesiid specimens for study. We are grateful to our Turkish colleagues, Rahsen Kaya (Uludag University, Bursa) and Recep Sulhi Ozkutuk (Anadolu University, Eskisehir), for help and assistance while collecting in Turkey in September 2010 and Mehmet Ozkoruk for his help during field trips in south-eastern Anatolia. Our colleagues Mykola Kovblyuk (Tavrida University, Crimea) and Natalia Snegovaya (Research Institute of Zoology, Baku) kindly provided us with photographs of relevant Caucasian landscapes. Kadir Kunt and Ersen Yagmur thank Alireza Zamani (University of Tehran, Iran) for photographs showing nemesiid localities in Iran, live spiders and their retreats. Special thanks go to Seppo Koponen (ZMUT) for providing us with museum facilities. An early draft of the manuscript was kindly edited by Naomi Paz (TAU). We thank Shuqiang Li and Peter Schwendinger for their valuable comments and recommendations which helped to improve the original manuscript. This study was supported in part by the Ministry of Absorption, Israel

Description of Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. from Armenia (Araneae: Nemesiidae)

A diagnosis and illustrated description of Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. (♀) from Armenia is provided. The new species belongs to the Raveniola niedermeyeri species group, where it appears to be most closely related to R. niedermeyeri (Brignoli, 1972) itself. Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. differs from the latter species in the shape of receptacular branches arising from a narrow common base. The study briefly discusses the relationships and some peculiar characters (including the reduction of the posterior eyes, a triangular apical segment of the posterior lateral spinnerets, and a very specific configuration of the divided three-head spermathecae) of the new species. ԱՄՓՈՓՈՒՄ Հոդվածում տրված է Հայաստանից հայտնաբերված Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. (♀) տեսակի դիագնոզը և պատկերազարդ նկարագրությունը: Նոր տեսակը պատկանում է Raveniola niedermeyeri տեսակների խմբին, և, ըստ ամենայն, առավել նման է նույնինքը R. nieder­meyeri (Brignoli, 1972) տեսակին: Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. նոր տեսակը վերջինից տարբերվում է սպերմաընկալիչների ճյուղերի ձևով, որոնք բխում է նեղ ընդհանուր հիմքից: Աշխատանքում համառոտ քննարկվում են նոր տեսակի հարաբերությունները և առանձնահատուկ հատ­կան­իշները (ներառյալ հետին աչքերի կրճատումը, հետին կողային մանող ելունների եռանկյունաձև գագաթային հատվածը և երագլխանման ճյուցավորվածությամբ սպերմաընկալիչների յուրա­հատուկ կազմվածքը): ԲԱՆԱԼԻ ԲԱՌԵՐ: Aranei, Mygalomorphae, սարդեր, նոր տեսակներ, կար­գաբանություն, Փոքր Կովկաս: To cite: Marusik, Y.M. & Zonstein, S.L. 2021. Description of Raveniola ambardzumyani n. sp. from Armenia (Araneae: Nemesiidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 51: 93–101. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5596461 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:AB87691D-A52C-436D-8766-F8F4C4769BD

New and interesting spiders (Aranei: Agelenidae, Corinnidae, Gnaphosidae, Nemesiidae, Thomisidae) from the West Caucasus

2 new species Tegenaria chumachenkoi sp. n. and Zelotes khostensis sp. n., female of Tegenaria abchasica Charitonov, 1941 and male of Raveniola pontica (Spassky, 1937) are described from Khosta environs (Krasnodar Region, Russia). Males of Tegenaria abchasica and T. longimana Simon, 1898 are redescribed. For the comparison with Zelotes khostensis sp. n., diagnostic drawings of the closest species, Z. erebeus (Thorell, 1871) based; on specimens from Austria, are presented. Tegenaria longimana is recorded in Russia for the first time. Khosta environs is the northernmost locality in the range of T. longimana.Cetonana laticeps (Canestrini, 1868) is recorded in, Russia and the Caucasus for the first time. Zelotes olympi (Kulczyński, 1903) is recorded in Russia and the Caucasus for the first time. Gelendzhik (Krasnodar Region, Russia) environs is the easternmost locality in the ranges of C. laticeps and Z. olympi. Cozyptila guseinovorum Marusik et Kovblyuk, 2005 is recorded in Abkhazia (Georgia) for the first time

Spiders of Iran – Systematics, diversity and distribution

Spiders (Araneae) are the largest order of Arachnida and the sixth most speciose order of Animalia, comprising more than 50,000 extant species as well as over 1,400 species known from fossils. Despite this immense diversity that has been estimated to comprise 120,000–200,000 species, our knowledge of their systematics and distribution remains rather incipient. While attempts to evaluate the diversity and distribution patterns of spiders have been made for the Neotropical and a few other faunas, most other regions remain historically neglected. The aim of this dissertation is to explore the systematics, diversity and distribution of spiders of Iran, a highly interesting region from a zoological and biogeographical point of view that unfortunately has been poorly investigated regarding its invertebrate fauna. For this purpose, I examined more than 9,000 specimens that were either collected during expeditions to numerous regions and ecosystems across the country or deposited in several natural history collections from around the world. As a result of these efforts, which were initiated in 2013 and mostly carried out in collaboration with researchers from various countries, a total of 11 genera and 147 species of Iranian spiders were described as new to science, and 419 taxa (i.e., 13 families, 87 genera and 319 species) were recorded in Iran for the first time. The total number of newly described and recorded species (i.e., 466 species) constitutes almost half (i.e., 49.83%) of the currently known Iranian species diversity of this group (i.e., 935 species). Amongst 147 species described, 137 are known only from Iran, representing 63.72% of all species currently considered endemic to this country (i.e., 215 species). These results were published in a total of 87 publications, 38 of which were published after the beginning of my doctoral studies at UTU in 2019. This dissertation, however, is primarily based on only nine taxonomic articles (i.e., I–IX), all published after 2019 and highlighting some of the more important findings. Because of the newly obtained taxonomic information and an extensive database of all published records, it was possible to conduct a comprehensive review of spatial variation in the diversity patterns of spiders in Iran. This was the main objective of publication X, which also included an evaluation of the effect of sampling bias on the current understanding of the distribution of Iranian spiders. The analyses showed that the diversity of Iranian spiders remains inadequately studied and is heavily affected by the Linnean shortfall (i.e., gaps in taxonomic knowledge), despite a remarkable improvement in taxonomic research on this fauna since the beginning of the 21st century. There are 935 spider species in the 1,648,195 km2 of Iran. Comparing the number of species per area of 171 countries and other political regions indicated that Iran was in position 132, whereas many considerably smaller and less ecologically diverse countries were in lower positions. It was also found that this fauna clearly suffers from a severe Wallacean shortfall (i.e., lack of knowledge of species distributions), as approximately 85% of Iran lacks a single record of spiders. There is a highly uneven distribution of records throughout the country and its provinces and ecoregions, with most of the records situated near large cities. A high correlation was found between the number of records of spiders and the number of records of plants and other animals in Iran, indicating that the noted shortfalls are indeed corroborated by other taxa. Finally, it is suggested that to gain a more complete picture of the diversity of Iranian spiders, future collecting efforts should be primarily in the form of extensive systematic surveys instead of opportunistic sampling, and ideally targeting lesser sampled areas and ecoregions. Once a satisfactory amount of information regarding the taxonomy and distribution of species becomes available, it will be possible to properly assess the conservation status and risk factors that affect these species and to identify areas of higher conservation and management priority.--- Hämähäkit (Araneae) ovat lajimäärältään hämähäkkieläinten suurin lahko, ja kuudenneksi suurin eläinlahko. Lahkoon kuuluu yli 50 000 nykyisin elävää lajia ja yli 1400 lajia jotka tunnetaan fossiileista. Tästä valtavasta, arviolta 120 000 – 200 000 lajin monimuotoisuudesta huolimatta, on tietämys hämähäkkien systematiikasta ja levinneisyyksistä alkutekijöissään. Neotropiikin ja joidenkin muiden alueiden hämäkkien monimuotoisuutta ja lajien levinneisyyksiä on yritetty selvittää, mutta useimmat muut alueet ovat jääneet huomiotta. Tämän väitöskirjan tavoitteena on tutkia Iranin hämäkkien systematiikkaa, monimuotoisuutta ja lajien levinneisyyksiä. Iran on eläintieteellisesti ja eliömaantieteellisesti kiinnostava alue, jonka selkärangattomien lajisto on jäänyt valitettavan vähälle huomiolle. Tarkastelin yli 9000 näytettä jotka oli joko kerätty tutkimusretkillä Iranissa lukuisilla alueilla ja lukuisissa ekosysteemeissä, tai jotka kuuluivat useisiin eri puolilla maailmaa sijaitseviin luonnontieteellisiin kokoelmiin. Tämä tarkastelu, joka alkoi 2013 ja toteutettiin useimmiten yhteistyössä muiden maiden tutkijoiden kanssa, johti 11 iranilaisen suvun ja 147 lajin kuvaamiseen tieteelle uusina. 419 taksonia (eli 13 heimoa, 87 sukua ja 319 lajia) havaittiin Iranissa ensimmäistä kertaa. Uudet lajit (yhteensä 466 lajia) muodostavat lähes puolet (49.83%) Iranin tunnetusta lajistosta (935 lajia). Tulokset julkaistiin 87 julkaisussa, joista 38 julkaistiin aloitettuani jatko-opintoni Turun yliopistolla 2019. Väitöskirjani perustuu kuitenkin pääosin vain yhdeksään taksonomiseen julkaisuun (I–IX), jotka kaikki julkaistiin vuoden 2019 jälkeen, ja jotka tuovat esille osan tärkeimmistä havainnoista. Uudet tiedot hämähäkkien taksonomiasta sekä kaikkien julkaistujen havaintojen sijoittaminen tietokantaan mahdollistivat kattavan katsauksen hämähäkkien monimuotoisuuden maantieteellisestä jakautumasta Iranissa. Tämä oli julkaisun X pääsisältö. Julkaisussa arvioitiin myös otantaharhan vaikutusta nykytietämykseen Iranin hämähäkkilajien levinneisyyksistä. Iranin hämähäkkien monimuotoisuus osoittautui puutteellisesti tutkituksi ja lajisto huonosti tunnetuksi, vaikka hämähäkkeihin kohdistuva taksonominen tutkimus on merkittävästi laajentunut sitten 2000-luvun alun. Iranissa on 935 hämähäkkilajia 1,648,195 km2 pinta-alalla. Lajimäärän vertailu pinta-alaa kohti 171 valtiossa tai muulla hallinnollisella alueella sijoitti Iranin sijalle 132, huonompaan sijoitukseen kuin monet pienemmät ja muutoin lajistoltaan vähemmän monimuotoiset maat. Tietämys Iranin hämähäkkilajien levinneisyyksistä osoittautui myös äärimmäisen puutteelliseksi, sillä hämähäkkihavaintoja ei ole yhtäkään noin 85%:ssa Irania. Havainnot jakautuvat erittäin epätasaisesti koko maassa sekä sen provinseissa ja ekoalueilla, sijoittuen pääosin lähelle suuria kaupunkeja. Hämähäkkihavaintojen määrä korreloi vahvasti kasvihavaintojen ja muiden eläinten havaintojen kanssa, viitaten siihen että hämähäkkitietämyksen puutteet vastaavat muiden eliöryhmien tietämyksen puutteita. Lopuksi esitetään, että paremman kuvan saaminen Iranin hämähäkkilajistosta vaatii tulevilta keruutapahtumilta laajaa, systemaattista otostusta sattumanvaraisen ja pienimuotoisen otostuksen sijaan. Ideaalisesti otostus kohdistuisi vähemmän tutkittuihin alueisiin ja ekoalueisiin. Riittävän taksonomisen tiedon ja levinneisyystiedon saaminen tulee sallimaan sekä lajiston suojelutason että lajeihin kohdistuvien riskien arvioimisen, jolloin voidaan tunnistaa luonnonsuojelullisesti tärkeimmät alueet

Porodica Nemesiidae (Arthropoda, Arachnida) u Hrvatskoj s naglaskom na rod Brachythele

S obzirom na jednu od glavnih podjela paukova, skupina Mygalomorphae je zbog njihove skrovitosti, endemičnosti te slabo diferenciranih determinacijskih struktura slabije istražena nego skupina Araneomorphae. Iako nisu toliko mnogobrojni i raznoliki poput Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae mogu dati uvid u evolucijski razvoj paukova upravo zbog njihove endemičnosti i specifičnosti. Za razliku od Araneomorphae koji imaju dobro razvijene mehanizme rasprostranjivanja, Mygalomorphae ostaju ''zaključani'' u svom izvorištu, te su kao takvi mnogo značajniji za razumijevanje evolucije pauka. U ovom radu opisana je skupina Mygalomorphae te njena pojavnost u Hrvatskoj, zajedno sa problematikom oko njene filogenije te determinacije rodova koji su prisutni u Hrvatskoj.Regarding one of the main classifications of spiders, taxon Mygalomorphae has not been studied as its counterpart taxon Araneomorphae due to its reclusiveness, poor differentation of morphological characteristics and the fact that large number of Mygalomorphae species are endemic. Although they’re not as numerous or diverse in species as Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae can give us insight into the evolution of spiders precisely because of their reclusiveness and uniqueness. While Araneomorphae have effective mechanisms for dispersal, Mygalomorphae spiders tend to be ‘’locked up’’ in their centers of origin, thus being more significant in overall understanding of spider evolution. This paper presents overview of the main Mygalomorphae characteristics, as well as Mygalomorphae species of Croatia, along with the issue of their phylogeny, and problems that arise with their determination

Porodica Nemesiidae (Arthropoda, Arachnida) u Hrvatskoj s naglaskom na rod Brachythele

S obzirom na jednu od glavnih podjela paukova, skupina Mygalomorphae je zbog njihove skrovitosti, endemičnosti te slabo diferenciranih determinacijskih struktura slabije istražena nego skupina Araneomorphae. Iako nisu toliko mnogobrojni i raznoliki poput Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae mogu dati uvid u evolucijski razvoj paukova upravo zbog njihove endemičnosti i specifičnosti. Za razliku od Araneomorphae koji imaju dobro razvijene mehanizme rasprostranjivanja, Mygalomorphae ostaju ''zaključani'' u svom izvorištu, te su kao takvi mnogo značajniji za razumijevanje evolucije pauka. U ovom radu opisana je skupina Mygalomorphae te njena pojavnost u Hrvatskoj, zajedno sa problematikom oko njene filogenije te determinacije rodova koji su prisutni u Hrvatskoj.Regarding one of the main classifications of spiders, taxon Mygalomorphae has not been studied as its counterpart taxon Araneomorphae due to its reclusiveness, poor differentation of morphological characteristics and the fact that large number of Mygalomorphae species are endemic. Although they’re not as numerous or diverse in species as Araneomorphae, Mygalomorphae can give us insight into the evolution of spiders precisely because of their reclusiveness and uniqueness. While Araneomorphae have effective mechanisms for dispersal, Mygalomorphae spiders tend to be ‘’locked up’’ in their centers of origin, thus being more significant in overall understanding of spider evolution. This paper presents overview of the main Mygalomorphae characteristics, as well as Mygalomorphae species of Croatia, along with the issue of their phylogeny, and problems that arise with their determination

The South African genus Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae): phylogeny and taxonomy

After more than a century, the genus Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 is revised. Lepthercus dregei Purcell, 1902 and L.rattrayi Hewitt, 1917 are redescribed; with the female of L. dregei described for the first time. Nine new species ofLepthercus are described. A phylogenetic analysis with morphological characters using implied weights and parsimony asoptimality criteria, suggests the separation of the genus in two clades. The first clade is formed by L. dippenaarae sp. nov.,L. engelbrechti sp. nov., L. haddadi sp. nov., L. rattrayi Hewitt, 1917 and L. sofiae sp. nov., here denominated ?Grouphaddadi?. The species L. confusus sp. nov., Lepthercus dregei Purcell, 1902, Lepthercus filmeri sp. nov., Lepthercuskwazuluensis sp. nov., Lepthercus lawrencei sp. nov. and Lepthercus mandelai sp. nov., form the second clade, heredenominated ?Group dregei?. The ?Group haddadi? is characterized by males with a curved metatarsus I, and a swollentibia I. The ?Group dregei? is supported by the presence of small maxillary cuspules in males. A new diagnosis is providedfor Lepthercus as well as an identification key for all species of the genus. New distribution maps for the genus in thecountry are also presented.Fil: Ríos Tamayo, Duniesky. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Lyle, Robin. Agricultural Research Council (arc); Sudáfric

Afropesa, a new spider genus from South Africa (Araneae: Entypesidae)

A new mygalomorph spider genus, Afropesa n. gen., is established for three South African species: the type species A. schoutedeni (Benoit, 1965) n. comb., transferred here from Entypesa Simon, 1902, and two newly described congeners, A. gauteng n. sp. and A. schwendingeri n. sp. The new genus differs from other genera of the Entypesidae by a unique set of diagnostic characters, including a flanged embolus and the spermathecae with wide bases and lengthened distal lobes. The three included species can be distinguished from each other by a shape of the male tibia and metatarsus I, as well as by the structure of the embolus and configuration of the spermathecae.   Cite as: Zonstein, S.L. & Ríos-Tamayo, D. 2021. Afropesa, a new spider genus from South Africa (Araneae: Entypesidae). Israel Journal of Entomology 51: 7–34. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4719052 urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD044D16-4096-48D9-9035-B6B3CBA071F

New data on the spider fauna of Iran (Arachnida: Aranei), Part VI

A family (Zoropsidae), five genera (Archaeodictyna Caporiacco, 1928, Microneta Menge, 1869, Sintula Simon, 1884, Zilla C.L. Koch, 1836, Zoropsis Simon, 1878), and 26 spider species are recorded in Iran for the first time. New provincial records for 61 species are presented. Considering the new results, 746 spider species are known from Iran.</p