Studies in Liocranidae (Araneae): a new afrotropical genus featuring a synapomorphy for the Cybaeodinae

Cteniogaster, a new genus of small ground spiders is described from Kenya and Tanzania. It encompasses seven new species, three of which are known from both sexes: C. toxarchus sp. nov., the type species, C. conviva sp. nov. and C. hexomma sp. nov. Three species are known from females only: C. lampropus sp. nov., C. sangarawe sp. nov. and C. taxorchis sp. nov. and one only from males: C. nana sp. nov. The new genus can be recognised by the presence of a posterior ventral abdominal f eld of strong setae and anterior lateral spinnerets with enlarged piriform gland spigots in males. A cladistic analysis attributes the genus to Liocranidae, Cybaeodinae. The results of the analysis performed do not produce an unequivocal autapomorphy for Liocranidae, but provide a combination of non-homoplasious character changes that offers significant potential for recognising genera as Liocranidae. Moreover, robust apomorphies are determined within Liocranidae for the subfamilies Liocraninae and Cybaeodinae. Based on these fi ndings Toxoniella Warui & Jocqué, 2002 is transferred from Gallieniellidae to Liocranidae, Cybaeodinae. Jacaena Thorell, 1897, Plynnon Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 and Teutamus Thorell, 1890 are transferred to Corinnidae, Phrurolithinae and Montebello Hogg, 1914 to Gnaphosidae. Itatsina Kishida, 1930 is synonymised with Prochora Simon, 1886

A new species of Hortipes (Araneae, Corinnidae), the first spider with an insertable retrolateral tibial apophysis on the male palp

Hortipes gigapophysalis (Araneae, Corinnidae) is a new species described from both sexes from montane forest on Mt Nimba, eastern Guinea. The species is remarkable for its long, whip-shaped retrolateral tibial apophysis (RTA) on the male palp. The structure apparently has an insertable function as the epigyne of the female contains a separate set of ducts starting from a central concavity that is unique in the genus. This duct system is apparently meant to receive the supple RTA. This type of structural arrangement has never previously been found in spiders

The spider family Oecobiidae (Arachnida: Araneae) in Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan

The taxonomic and faunistic status of the spider family Oecobiidae in Iran, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan is revised. A new species, namely Uroctea gambronica sp. nov. (♂) is described from southern Iran, and the male of U. grossa Roewer, 1960 is described and illustrated for the first time. Additionally, new faunistic data are provided, including the first records of Oecobius putus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 and U. grossa in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, respectively, and the re-evaluation of previously misidentified and questionable records of this family in the region. The known distribution ranges of all species are mapped for these three countries.</p

A revision of the endemic South African spider genus Austrachelas, with its transfer to the Gallieniellidae (Arachnida: Araneae)

The endemic South African spider genus Austrachelas Lawrence, 1938 is revised. The type species, A. incertus Lawrence, 1938, and A. natalensis Lawrence, 1942, are redescribed, and their males described for the first time. Seven new species are described: A. bergi n. sp. (female only), A. kalaharinus n. sp. (male only), A. merwei n. sp. (both sexes), A. pondoensis n. sp. (both sexes), A. reavelli n. sp. (both sexes), A. sexoculata n. sp. (male only), and A. wassenaari n. sp. (both sexes). A cladistic analysis performed including Austrachelas and various species of the corinnid subfamilies Trachelinae, Castianeirinae, Corinninae and Phrurolithinae, and species from the Liocranidae, Gallieniellidae and Lamponidae, suggests that Austrachelas is currently misplaced. Its transfer to the Gallieniellidae is proposed.Fil: Haddad, Charles R.. University of the Free State; SudáfricaFil: Lyle, Robin. University of the Free State; SudáfricaFil: Bosselaers, Jan. Royal Museum for Central Africa; BélgicaFil: Ramirez, Martin Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentin

Evaluation of the SD FK70 Malaria Ag Plasmodium vivax rapid diagnostic test in a non-endemic setting

© 2009 Gillet et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

An introductory study of house spiders (Araneae) in Belgium

More than 800 spiders were collected in 43 houses heated in winter, distributed mainly in the northern part of Belgium. Information required for the collections to be eligible for the project was: address, construction year, type of house, and surroundings. The spiders were qualified as ‘house spiders’ or ‘garden spiders’. Of the 93 species collected, 19 could be defined as house spiders. Pholcus phalangioides was the most common, followed by Eratigena atrica and Steatoda triangulosa. Garden spiders enter the house much more often in houses in a rural environment than in those situated in clusters, and mainly in spring. The spiders are most common in autumn when many of them are breeding. The common house spiders colonize houses shortly after their construction

The upper Miocene Deurne Member of the Diest Formation revisited : unexpected results from the study of a large temporary outcrop near Antwerp International Airport, Belgium

A 5.50 m thick interval of fossiliferous intensely bioturbated heterogenous glauconiferous sand of the upper Miocene Diest Formation is documented from a very large temporary outcrop just southeast of Antwerp International Airport (northern Belgium), allowing to observe lateral variations over several hundreds of meters and to collect many vertebrate and invertebrate fossils. This paper documents observations on lithology, sedimentary and post-sedimentary structures, and discusses the results of the multi-proxy analyses of the sediment (granulometry, glauconite content, clay mineralogy, Fe content and Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios), the interpretation of the trace fossil assemblage and the sedimentary structures as well as of the large-scale samplings of micro-, meso- and macrofossils. We evidence that the Diest Formation in the Antwerp area consists of two different lithological entities, and that this twofold character can be extrapolated to all previously recorded Deurne Member outcrops. A revised lithostratigraphic scheme for the Diest Formation in the Antwerp area is proposed, with the new Borsbeek member at the base and a redefmed Deurne Member at the top

FIGURE 7 in A new Garcorops species from Madagascar copal (Araneae: Selenopidae)

FIGURE 7. Garcorops jadis sp. nov., male holotype. 7, left male palp, rl view

A new Uroctea from the Jordan desert (Araneae: Oecobiidae)

Volume: 27Start Page: 103End Page: 11

Two interesting new ground spiders (Araneae) from the Canary Islands and Greece

Volume: 13Start Page: 83End Page: 9