Riparian buffers made of mature oil palms have inconsistent impacts on oil palm ecosystems.

Expansion of oil palm has caused widespread declines in biodiversity and changes in ecosystem functioning across the tropics. A major driver of these changes is loss of habitat heterogeneity as forests are converted into oil palm plantations. Therefore, one strategy to help support biodiversity and functioning in oil palm is to increase habitat heterogeneity, for instance, by retaining forested buffers around rivers when new plantations are established, or maintaining buffers made of mature oil palms ("mature palm buffers") when old plantations are replanted. While forested buffers are known to benefit oil palm systems, the impacts of mature palm buffers are less certain. In this study, we assessed the benefits of mature palm buffers, which were being passively restored (in this case, meaning that buffers were treated with no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers) by sampling environmental conditions and arthropods within buffers and in surrounding non-buffer areas (i.e., areas that were 25 and 125 m from buffers, and receiving normal business-as-usual management) across an 8-year chronosequence in industrial oil palm plantations (Sumatra, Indonesia). We ask (1) Do environmental conditions and biodiversity differ between buffer and non-buffer areas? (2) Do buffers affect environmental conditions and biodiversity in adjacent non-buffer areas (i.e., areas that were 25 m from buffers)? (3) Do buffers become more environmentally complex and biodiverse over time? We found that buffers can have environmental conditions (canopy openness, variation in openness, vegetation height, ground cover, and soil temperature) and levels of arthropod biodiversity (total arthropod abundance and spider abundance in the understory and spider species-level community composition in all microhabitats) that are different from those in non-buffer areas, but that these differences are inconsistent across the oil palm commercial life cycle. We also found that buffers might contribute to small increases in vegetation height and changes in ground cover in adjacent non-buffer areas, but do not increase levels of arthropod biodiversity in these areas. Finally, we found that canopy openness, variation in openness, and ground cover, but no aspects of arthropod biodiversity, change within buffers over time. Collectively, our findings indicate that mature palm buffers that are being passively restored can have greater environmental complexity and higher levels of arthropod biodiversity than non-buffer areas, particularly in comparison to recently replanted oil palm, but these benefits are not consistent across the crop commercial life cycle. If the goal of maintaining riparian buffers is to consistently increase habitat heterogeneity and improve biodiversity, an alternative to mature palm buffers or a move toward more active restoration of these areas is, therefore, probably required.

Descriptions of four kleptoparasitic spiders of the genus Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) and their potential host spider species in the genus Linothele (Araneae, Dipluridae) from Ecuador.

Four new species of the genus Mysmenopsis are described: M. onorei n. sp., M. otonga n. sp., M. fernandoi n. sp. and M. chiquita n. sp. All species were collected in diplurid webs and are therefore assumed to be kleptoparasitic. Five potential host species of the genus Linothele (Dipluridae) that were collected with the symbionts are also described: Linothele yanachanka n. sp., L. pukachumpi n. sp., L. zaia n. sp., L. tsachilas n. sp. and L. quori n. sp.

Path for recovery: an ecological overview of the Jambato Harlequin Toad (Bufonidae: Atelopus ignescens) in its last known locality, Angamarca Valley, Ecuador.

The Jambato Harlequin toad (Atelopus ignescens), a formerly abundant species in the Andes of Ecuador, faced a dramatic population decline in the 1980s, with its last recorded sighting in 1988. The species was considered Extinct by the IUCN until 2016, when a fortuitous discovery of one Jambato by a local boy reignited hope. In this study, we present findings from an investigation conducted in the Angamarca parish, focusing on distribution, abundance, habitat preferences, ecology, disease susceptibility, and dietary habits of the species. In one year we identified 71 individuals at different stages of development in various habitats, with a significant presence in agricultural mosaic areas and locations near water sources used for crop irrigation, demonstrating the persistence of the species in a complex landscape, with considerable human intervention. The dietary analysis based on fecal samples indicated a diverse prey selection, primarily comprising arthropods such as Acari, Coleoptera, and ants. Amphibian declines have been associated with diseases and climate change; notably, our study confirmed the presence of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), but, surprisingly, none of the infected Jambatos displayed visible signs of illness. When analyzing climatic patterns, we found that there are climatic differences between historical localities and Angamarca; the temporal analysis also exposes a generalized warming trend. Finally, in collaboration with the local community, we developed a series of management recommendations for terrestrial and aquatic environments occupied by the Jambato.

Taxonomic revision of the spider genera Agyneta and Tennesseellum (Araneae, Linyphiidae) of North America north of Mexico with a study of the embolic division within Micronetinae sensu Saaristo & Tanasevitch 1996.

The genera Agyneta Hull 1911 and Tennesseellum Petrunkevitch 1925 are revised for North America north of Mexico. The synonymy of Meioneta Hull 1920 with Agyneta Hull 1911 proposed by Saaristo 1973 is corroborated. The North American fauna north of Mexico of Agyneta now includes a total of 69 species, of which 31 are new species: A. watertoni n. sp., A. perspicua n. sp., A. aquila n. sp., A. yukona n. sp., A. darrelli n. sp., A. bucklei n. sp., A. erinacea n. sp., A. crawfordi n. sp., A. vinki n. sp., A. panthera n. sp., A. miniata n. sp., A. danielbelangeri n. sp., A. pistrix n. sp., A. flax n. sp., A. barfoot n. sp., A. sandia n. sp., A. spicula n. sp., A. grandcanyon n. sp., A. chiricahua n. sp., A. crista n. sp., A. tuberculata n. sp., A. catalina n. sp., A. ledfordi n. sp., A. platnicki n. sp., A. bronx n. sp., A. paquini n. sp., A. girardi n. sp., A. flibuscrocus n. sp., A. delphina n. sp., A. okefenokee n. sp. and A. issaqueena n. sp. The genus Tennesseellum includes two spe-cies, with one new species, T. gollum n. sp. Ten new synonyms are recognized: Meioneta grayi Barnes 1953 = Anibontes mimus Chamberlin 1924; Meioneta dactylata Chamberlin & Ivie 1944, Meioneta officiosa (Barrows 1940) = Meioneta micaria (Emerton 1882); Meioneta imitata Chamberlin & Ivie 1944 = Meioneta leucophora Chamberlin & Ivie 1944; Meioneta ferosa (Chamberlin & Ivie 1943) = Meioneta fillmorana (Chamberlin 1919); Meioneta fuscipes Chamberlin & Ivie 1944 = Meioneta floridana (Banks 1896); Meioneta alaskensis Holm 1960 = Meioneta maritima (Emerton 1919); Meioneta meridionalis (Crosby & Bishop 1936), Meioneta zebrina Chamberlin & Ivie, 1944 = Meioneta parva (Banks 1896); Meioneta zygia (Keyserling 1886) = Meioneta fabra (Keyserling 1886). Ten informal species groups are proposed based on the study on the male palpal conformation of the embolus and radical division; these groups are not intened to be phylogenetic hypotheses. The limits and composition of the subfamily Micronetinae sensu Saaristo & Tanasevitch 1996 are discussed.

Review of the American genus Bolostromus Ausserer, 1875 with the description of fourteen new species (Araneae, Cyrtaucheniidae).

The family Cyrtaucheniidae is seldom found in the Americas, only 10 species are known to occur. Herein we described fourteen new species for the family Cyrtaucheniidae, all belonging to the genus Bolostromus from Central America and South America: Bolostromus busu n. sp. (female); B. devriesi n. sp. (female); B. epiphyticus n. sp. (male, female); B. fonsecai n. sp. (male); B. hubeni n. sp. (male, female); B. italoi n. sp. (female); B. laheredia n. sp. (male); B. losrios n. sp. (male); B. nischki n. sp. (male); B. urku n. sp. (male), B. primus n. sp. (male); B. pristirana n. sp. (male); B. stridulator n. sp. (male), and B. valdivia n. sp. (female). Photographs of the type specimens of: Bolostromus fauna (male and female); Bolostromus gaujoni (male); B. holguinensis (female juvenile); B. insularis (female juvenile); B. pulchripes (female); B. riveti (male) and, B. venustus (female) are provided, as well as a distribution map of all species.

Rainforest conversion to rubber and oil palm reduces abundance, biomass and diversity of canopy spiders.

Rainforest canopies, home to one of the most complex and diverse terrestrial arthropod communities, are threatened by conversion of rainforest into agricultural production systems. However, little is known about how predatory arthropod communities respond to such conversion. To address this, we compared canopy spider (Araneae) communities from lowland rainforest with those from three agricultural systems in Jambi Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, i.e., jungle rubber (rubber agroforest) and monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm. Using canopy fogging, we collected 10,676 spider specimens belonging to 36 families and 445 morphospecies. The four most abundant families (Salticidae N = 2,043, Oonopidae N = 1,878, Theridiidae N = 1,533 and Clubionidae N = 1,188) together comprised 62.2% of total individuals, while the four most speciose families, Salticidae (S = 87), Theridiidae (S = 83), Araneidae (S = 48) and Thomisidae (S = 39), contained 57.8% of all morphospecies identified. In lowland rainforest, average abundance, biomass and species richness of canopy spiders was at least twice as high as in rubber or oil palm plantations, with jungle rubber showing similar abundances as rainforest, and intermediate biomass and richness. Community composition of spiders was similar in rainforest and jungle rubber, but differed from rubber and oil palm, which also differed from each other. Canonical Correspondence Analysis showed that canopy openness, aboveground tree biomass and tree density together explained 18.2% of the variation in spider communities at family level. On a morphospecies level, vascular plant species richness and tree density significantly affected the community composition but explained only 6.8% of the variance. While abundance, biomass and diversity of spiders declined strongly with the conversion of rainforest into monoculture plantations of rubber and oil palm, we also found that a large proportion of the rainforest spider community can thrive in extensive agroforestry systems such as jungle rubber. Despite being very different from rainforest, the canopy spider communities in rubber and oil palm plantations may still play a vital role in the biological control of canopy herbivore species, thus contributing important ecosystem services. The components of tree and palm canopy structure identified as major determinants of canopy spider communities may aid in decision-making processes toward establishing cash-crop plantation management systems which foster herbivore control by spiders.

The endless search for type specimens; illustrations of eleven spider (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) species described by Eugène Simon.

French arachnologist Eugène Simon is considered one of the most prolific arachnologists of all time. Unfortunately, Simon often provided very short descriptions with or without illustrations which makes recognition of his species difficult for subsequent taxonomists. Eugène Simon described 3,789 species of spiders in his career, and most of his type specimens are assumed to be held in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France. We present here the images of eleven Mygalomorphae species described by E. Simon that were never thoroughly illustrated: Cyrtaucheniidae: Fufius albovittatus, F. atramentarius, F. ecuadorensis; Dipluridae: Masteria cavicola, Diplura riveti, and Linothele soricina; Halonoproctidae: Ummidia asperula; Idiopidae: Idiops argus, I. fulvipes, I. opifex and Theraphosidae: Heterothele caudicula.

On the putatively incorrect identification and "redescription" of Paratropis elicioi Dupérré 2015 (Paratropididae, Araneae) with the description of two new sympatric species from Ecuador.

Paratropis elicioi was described in 2015 from specimens collected in Ecuador. Both sexes were described, scientific illustrations of all relevant morphological characters were provided. Perafán et al. (2019) claimed to redescribe Paratropis elicioi from specimens collected in Colombia, without examining the holotype or paratype. Evidence that the description published by Perafán et al. 2019 is not Paratropis elicioi is presented. Two new sympatric species are described: P. otonga sp. n. and P. pristirana sp. n.

Megadiverse Ecuador: a review of Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) of Ecuador, with the description of twenty-one new kleptoparasitic spider species.

The spider family Mysmenidae includes two genera in which kleptoparasitic species are known to occur, Isela and Mysmenopsis. Mysmenopsis is the most speciose with 31 species described so far. Herein, we describe twenty-one new species from Ecuador: M. alvaroi n. sp., M. amazonica n. sp., M. angamarca n. sp., M. awa n. sp., M. baerti n. sp., M. bartolozzii n. sp., M. choco n. sp., M. cube n. sp., M. corazon n. sp., M. guanza n. sp., M. guayaca n. sp., M. hunachi n. sp., M. junin n. sp., M. lasrocas n. sp., M. lloa n. sp., M. otokiki n. sp., M. pululahua n. sp., M. salazarae n. sp., M. shushufindi n. sp., M. tepuy n. sp. and M. tungurahua n. sp. We report for the first time the presence of four species of Mysmenopsis in the web of a Lycosidae, namely M. salazarae n. sp., M. shushufindi n. sp., M. bartolozzii n. sp. and M. amazonica n. sp. All new species described here were collected in spider webs either from the family Dipluridae (Linothele) or Lycosidae (Aglaoctenus) and therefore are assumed to be kleptoparasitic. New locality records are presented for M. otonga, M. fernandoi, M. atahualpa and M. penai, the female of M. penai is described for the first time. Maps of all Ecuadorian species are presented, kleptoparasitism, morphological characters and distribution of Mysmenopsis species are discussed.

Heteroonops (Araneae, Oonopidae) spiders from Hispaniola: the discovery of ten new species.

The Caribbean biodiversity hotspot harbors vast reserves of undiscovered species. A large-scale inventory of Caribbean arachnids (CarBio) is uncovering new species across the arachnid tree of life, and allowing inference of the evolutionary history that has generated this diversity. Herein we describe ten new species of Heteroonops (Oonopidae, or goblin spiders), from Hispaniola: H. scapula sp. nov., H. jurassicus sp. nov., H. aylinalegreae sp. nov., H. verruca sp. nov., H. renebarbai sp. nov., H. yuma sp. nov., H. carlosviquezi sp. nov., H. gabrielsantosi sp. nov., H. solanllycarreroae sp. nov. and H. constanza sp. nov. The occurrence of the pantropical type species Heteroonops spinimanus (Simon, 1891) is reported and new localities are given for: H. validus (Bryant, 1948), H. vega (Platnick & Dupérré, 2009) and H. castelloides (Platnick & Dupérré, 2009). Molecular phylogenies indicate substantial genetic divergence separating these taxa. This work adds to evidence that the depth of diversity in the Caribbean biodiversity hotspot is particularly striking for tiny taxa living in leaf litter.

Functional losses in ground spider communities due to habitat structure degradation under tropical land-use change.

Deforestation and land-use change in tropical regions result in habitat loss and extinction of species that are unable to adapt to the conditions in agricultural landscapes. If the associated loss of functional diversity is not compensated by species colonizing the converted habitats, extinctions might be followed by a reduction or loss of ecosystem functions including biological control. To date, little is known about how land-use change in the tropics alters the functional diversity of invertebrate predators and which key environmental factors may mitigate the decline in functional diversity and predation in litter and soil communities. We applied litter sieving and heat extraction to study ground spider communities and assessed structural characteristics of vegetation and parameters of litter in rainforest and agricultural land-use systems (jungle rubber, rubber, and oil palm monocultures) in a Southeast Asian hotspot of rainforest conversion: Sumatra, Indonesia. We found that (1) spider density, species richness, functional diversity, and community predation (energy flux to spiders) were reduced by 57-98% from rainforest to oil palm monoculture; (2) jungle rubber and rubber monoculture sustained relatively high diversity and predation in ground spiders, but small cryptic spider species strongly declined; (3) high species turnover compensated losses of some functional trait combinations, but did not compensate for the overall loss of functional diversity and predation per unit area; (4) spider diversity was related to habitat structure such as amount of litter, understory density, and understory height, while spider predation was better explained by plant diversity. Management practices that increase habitat-structural complexity and plant diversity such as mulching, reduced weeding, and intercropping monocultures with other plants may contribute to maintaining functional diversity of and predation services provided by ground invertebrate communities in plantations.

Description of four new species of armoured spiders (Araneae, Tetrablemmidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia.

Four new species of armoured spiders from Sumatra, Indonesia are described. Three species are described in the genus Ablemma Roewer, 1963 and one species in the genus Brignoliella Shear, 1978; Ablemmaandriana sp. n. (male), Ablemmacontrita sp. n. (male and female), Ablemmakelinci sp. n. (male) and Brignoliellapatmae sp. n. (male and female). The female of Ablemmasingalang Lehtinen, 1981 is described here for the first time. The first record of Brignoliella for Sumatra is also presented.

How not to delimit taxa: a critique on a recently proposed "pragmatic classification" of jumping spiders (Arthropoda: Arachnida: Araneae: Salticidae).

Modern taxonomy and systematics profit from an invaluable tool that has been developed in the course of more than a century by intense discussions and negotiations of generations of zoologists and palaeontologists: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999, 2012). The main goal of the Code is "to promote stability and universality in the scientific names of animals and to ensure that the name of each taxon is unique and distinct" (Melville 1995, ICZN 1999: 2). The provisions of the Code are generally accepted and thoroughly applied by the scientific community. Exceptions, such as the one described below, are very rare.

An annotated type catalogue of the camel spiders (Arachnida: Solifugae) held in the Zoological Museum Hamburg.

Solifuges are an enigmatic and poorly studied group of arachnids. Commonly referred to as camel spiders or sun spiders, these animals are voracious predators of small animals and found in arid biomes of the Old World and the Americas. In this paper, we provide a catalogue for the solifuges (Arachnida: Solifugae) that are held at the Center of Natural History in Hamburg. The collections in Hamburg are predominantly historical and were accumulated by Karl Kraepelin between 1889 and 1914 with the help of other famous arachnologists such as Ferdinant Karsch and Eugène Simon. The re-study of these collections indicates that there are 38 type species and 65 type specimens from 10 families. We provide a detailed account of this material, including collection data, taxonomic updates, measurements and high-resolution images for species that are either poorly or not at all illustrated. Most specimens (70%) were collected in Africa as part of colonial expeditions or field surveys but there are also types from Western Asia (11%), and North and South America (19%). We provide an overview of the history of this collection, including a summary of the field surveys during which the specimens were collected and the arachnologists who described the material. Overall, this is the third-largest collection of solifuges in Germany with a distinct biogeographical focus and one of the largest collections of camel spiders in Europe.

Further discoveries on the minuscule spiders from the Chocó region of Ecuador with the description of seven new species of Anapis (Araneae: Anapidae).

The diversity of the small Araneoidea spider family Anapidae from the Chocó region of Ecuador is examined. A total of 325 Anapidae specimens were collected from which seven new species all from the genus Anapis were discovered and herein described: Anapis anabelleae n. sp., A. carmencita n. sp., A. churu n. sp., A. mariebertheae n. sp., A. naranja n. sp., A. nawchi n. sp. and A. shina n. sp. Furthermore, the male of Anapisona pecki Platnick Shadab 1979 is described for the first time, and new locality data are provided for Anapis chiriboga Platnick Shadab 1978 and Pseudanapsis domingo Platnick Shadab 1979.

Description of three new species of Aposphragisma Thoma, 2014 (Araneae: Oonopidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia.

Three species from the family Oonopidae are newly described from leaf litter habitats in Sumatra, Indonesia based on male and female morphology. All three species belong to the genus Aposphragisma Thoma, 2014: Aposphragismaglobosum sp. n., Aposphragismajambi sp. n., and Aposphragismasumatra sp. n.

On some minuscule spiders (Araneae: Theridiosomatidae, Symphytognathidae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador with the description of ten new species.

The spider families Theridiosomatidae and Symphytognathidae found in the Chocó region of Ecuador are examined, a total of 16 and 69 adult specimens were collected respectively in a series of expeditions. In the family Theridiosomatidae, eight new species are described in four different genera; Chthonos kuyllur n. sp.; Naatlo mayzana n. sp.; Ogulnius laranka n. sp., O. paku n. sp.; Theridiosoma ankas n. sp., T. esmeraldas n. sp., T. kullki n. sp., and T. sacha n. sp. We present the first record of the family Symphytognathidae for Ecuador with the description of two new species in two different genera: Anapistula equatoriana n. sp. and Symphytognatha cabezota n. sp.

Description of a new genus and thirteen new species of Ctenidae (Araneae, Ctenidae) from the Chocó region of Ecuador.

The genus Chococtenus n. gen. is established for a group of Ctenidae with a unique ventral and spine-like retrolateral tibial apophysis, primarily found in the Chocó-Tumbes-Magdalena corridor. Thirteen new species are described: Chococtenus otonga n. sp., C. neblina n. sp., C. cuchilla n. sp., C. fantasma n. sp., C. waitti n. sp., C. cappuccino n. sp., C. lasdamas n. sp., C. suffuscus n. sp., C. otongachi n. sp., C. kashakara n. sp., C. piemontana n. sp., C. luchoi n. sp. and C. duendecito n. sp. Ctenus acanthoctenoides Schmidt and Enoploctenus miserabilis (Strand) are transferred to Chococtenus.

Descriptions of twelve new species of ochyroceratids (Araneae, Ochyroceratidae) from mainland Ecuador.

Twelve new species in three different genera from the spider family Ochyroceratidae are described from mainland Ecuador: Speocera bioforestae sp. n., Speocera violacea sp. n., Speocera musgo sp. n., Ochyrocera rinocerotos sp. n., Ochyrocera callaina sp. n., Ochyrocera italoi sp. n., Ochyrocera minotaure sp. n., Ochyrocera losrios sp. n., Ochyrocera zabaleta sp. n., Ochyrocera otonga sp. n., Ochyrocera cashcatotoras sp. n. and Psiloochyrocera tortilis sp. n. Speocera machadoi Gertsch 1977 is transferred to Ochyrocera.