New data on Dysdera Latreille, 1804 and Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 (Araneae: Dysderidae) of the Caucasus, with new species and records.

In this paper, we provide new taxonomic and faunistic data on the dysderid spider genera Dysdera Latreille, 1804 and Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 based on material collected in the Caucasus region. We identified a total of seventeen species, of which D. atabekia sp. n. (; Goychay and Ismayilli districts, Azerbaijan), H. abasgiana sp. n. (; Republic of Abkhazia, Georgia), and H. dunini sp. n. (; Zagatala district, Azerbaijan) are described as new to science and their distributions are mapped. Furthermore, three new records are provided: D. daghestanica Dunin, 1991 from Krasnodar Krai, D. concinna L. Koch, 1878 from Iran, and D. mazini Dunin, 1991 from Azerbaijan. By examining the type series of Harpactea caucasia (Kulczyski, 1895), we found that at least a part of Dunins records of this species refer to H. abasgiana sp. n., and his figures of this species in fact refer to an undescribed species. Brief notes are provided on the northernmost distribution limits of Dysderidae.

The evolution of prey-attraction strategies in spiders: the interplay between foraging and predator avoidance.

Lures and other adaptations for prey attraction are particularly interesting from an evolutionary viewpoint because they are characterized by correlational selection, involve multicomponent signals, and likely reflect a compromise between maximizing conspicuousness to prey while avoiding drawing attention of enemies and predators. Therefore, investigating the evolution of lure and prey-attraction adaptations can help us understand a larger set of traits governing interactions among organisms. We review the literature focusing on spiders (Araneae), which is the most diverse animal group using prey attraction and show that the evolution of prey-attraction strategies must be driven by a trade-off between foraging and predator avoidance. This is because increasing detectability by potential prey often also results in increased detectability by predators higher in the food chain. Thus increasing prey attraction must come at a cost of increased risk of predation. Given this trade-off, we should expect lures and other prey-attraction traits to remain suboptimal despite a potential to reach an optimal level of attractiveness. We argue that the presence of this trade-off and the multivariate nature of prey-attraction traits are two important mechanisms that might maintain the diversity of prey-attraction strategies within and between species. Overall, we aim to stimulate research on this topic and progress in our general understanding of the diversity of predator and prey interactions.

A new species of the genus Osornolobus Forster & Platnick from the maulino forests of Chile (Araneae, Orsolobidae).

A faunistic survey in the Maule region in central-southern Chile resulted in the discovery and description of a new species of the spider genus Osornolobus: O. violetaparra n. sp., based on males collected using pitfall traps in the province of Talca. This is the northernmost record of the genus in Chile, previously known from Ñuble to Magallanes.

Review of Chalcovietnamicus Marusik, 1991, with description of four new species (Araneae, Salticidae, Euophryini).

The euophryine genus Chalcovietnamicus Marusik, 1991, a member of the Laufeia group of genera, is reviewed, and four new species from southern China and Southeast Asia are described with both sexes: Chalcovietnamicus logunovi Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov., C. marusiki Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov., C. terbakar Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. and C. weihangi Yu & Zhang, sp. nov.. The monotypic genus Junxattus Prszyski & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2012 syn. nov. is considered as a junior synonym of Chalcovietnamicus Marusik, 1991, and Parvattus Zhang & Maddison, 2012 is revalidated and removed from synonymy with Chalcovietnamicus Marusik, 1991. The previously unknown female of C. vietnamensis (abka, 1985) is described based on specimens from Vietnam and Singapore. All species of Chalcovietnamicus are assigned to two species groups (daiqini-group and vietnamensis-group), except C. naga Logunov, 2020 that is herein considered as an incertae sedis.

Taxonomic revision of Orcevia Thorell, 1890, with description of fifteen new species (Araneae, Salticidae, Euophryini).

The Asian euophryine genus Orcevia Thorell, 1890 is revised, and fifteen new species from southern China and Southeast Asia are described: Orcevia bokoblin Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. calcicola Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. deelemanae Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. feitongae Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. gongae Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. jinping Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. meinei Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. mercuryi Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. nietzschei Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. pakse Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. shuyuani Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. timburtoni Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. wuliang Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. yahaha Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (), O. zabkai Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. () and O. zu Yu & Zhang, sp. nov. (). Three new combinations and one new synonym are proposed: Orcevia sokoli (Prszyski & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2013) comb. nov. (transferred from Echeclus Thorell, 1890), O. sica (Wu & Yang, 2008) comb. nov. (=Laufeia longapophysis Lei & Peng, 2012 syn. nov.; transferred from Laufeia Simon, 1889), and Magyarus terrestris (Logunov, 2021) comb. nov. (transferred from Orcevia). The previously unknown females of Orcevia sica (Wu & Yang, 2008) comb. nov. and O. proszynskii (Song, Gu & Chen, 1988) are described. O. perakensis (Simon, 1901) is herein listed as a species inquirenda.

On ten jumping spider species described by Song and Chai (1992) based on type specimens (Araneae, Salticidae).

Ten jumping spider species published by Song and Chai in 1992 are restudied. The following new synonyms are proposed: Chinattus emeiensis (Peng & Xie, 1995) syn. nov. [=C. undulatus (Song & Chai, 1992)], Evarcha paralbaria Song & Chai, 1992 syn. nov. (= E. coreana Seo, 1988), Ptocasius nanyuensis (Xie & Peng, 1995) syn. nov. [=P. badongensis (Song & Chai, 1992)]. Evarcha orientalis (Song & Chai, 1992) is transferred to Nigorella Wesoowska & Tomasiewicz, 2008. The synonymy status of Chinattus szechwanensis (Prszyski, 1992) with C. undulatus (Song & Chai, 1992) and Nigorella hunanensis (Peng, Xie & Kim, 1993) with N. hirticeps (Song & Chai, 1992) are restored.

Revision of the genus Xizangiana Sherwood, Li & Zhang, 2022, with descriptions of five new species (Araneae: Gnaphosidae).

The genus Xizangiana Sherwood, Li & Zhang, 2022 is revised. Two known species and five new species from China are described and illustrated: Xizangiana linzhiensis (Hu, 2001), X. rigaze (Song, Zhu & Zhang, 2004), X. benae Liu & Zhang, sp. n. (), X. longlin Liu & Zhang, sp. n. (), X. namchabarwa Liu & Zhang, sp. n. (), X. shenxian Liu & Zhang, sp. n. () and X. xiangbi Liu & Zhang, sp. n. (). Two new combinations from India, Xizangiana pawani(Gajbe, 1993) comb. n. (ex. Urozelotes Mello-Leito, 1938) and X. sedula (Simon, 1897) comb. n. (ex. Poecilochroa Westring, 1874), are proposed. The subfamily placement of Xizangiana is discussed and the records of all the species is mapped.

On the identity of Pardosa consimilis Nosek, 1905 with a first description of the male and notes on two related species (Araneae: Lycosidae).

More than a hundred years after its description in 1905, the wolf spider Pardosa consimilis Nosek, 1905 was known solely from the original description of a single female, the holotype. In the last decade there were reports of the species from Bulgaria. Several reports followed with possible records of the yet-unknown males but they were not described; these came from four countries at least: North Macedonia, Georgia, Albania and most recently from Iran. Pardosa consimilis belongs to the monticola group and can be assigned to separate albatula-complex. The aim of this article is to provide a description for the male of Pardosa consimilis for the first time and to redescribe the female, in comparison with its closest congeners P. albatula (Roewer, 1951) and P. blanda (C. L. Koch, 1833).

Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae).

The present checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of Algeria is based on literature items published from 1846 to 2022. Altogether 876 species belonging to 51 families are listed. Taxonomic references are mentioned for each species, with indication of synonymous usage or taxa changes. Information about species distribution in the Algerian provinces is also provided, revealing significant disparities in knowledge about each province. Linyphiids present the highest number of known species (155) and the highest endemic richness (54 species). Eight families are represented by a single species. 227 species are known exclusively from Algeria. Moreover, a comparison was executed between the results reported in Algeria and those reported in the neighboring countries (Tunisia, Morocco, and Libya).

Taxonomic study of Bornean species of Utivarachna Kishida, 1940 (Araneae: Trachelidae), with the description of a new species.

The genus Utivarachna Kishida, 1940 currently comprises 23 species, with eight described from Borneo. We examined the type materials of the Bornean species, except for U. fukasawana Kishida, 1940, as well as newly collected specimens. As a result, we describe a new species, Utivarachna itiokai sp. nov., which belongs to the dusun-group. We also provide the first description of the female of Utivarachna ichneumon and redescribe the known Utivarachna species of Borneo.

Combining genomic, phenotypic and Sanger sequencing data to elucidate the phylogeny of the two-clawed spiders (Dionycha).

The importance of morphology in the phylogenomic era has recently gained attention, but relatively few studies have combined both types of information when inferring phylogenetic relationships. Sanger sequencing legacy data can also be important for understanding evolutionary relationships. The possibility of combining genomic, morphological and Sanger data in one analysis seems compelling, permitting a more complete sampling and yielding a comprehensive view of the evolution of a group. Here we used these three data types to elucidate the systematics and evolution of the Dionycha, a highly diverse group of spiders relatively underrepresented in phylogenetic studies. The datasets were analyzed separately and combined under different inference methods, including a novel approach for analyzing morphological matrices with commonly used evolutionary models. We tested alternative hypotheses of relationships and performed simulations to investigate the accuracy of our findings. We provide a comprehensive and thorough phylogenetic hypothesis for Dionycha that can serve as a robust framework to test hypotheses about the evolution of key characters. We also show that morphological data might have a phylogenetic impact, even when massively outweighed by molecular data. Our approach to analyze morphological data may serve as an alternative to the proposed practice of arbitrarily partitioning, weighting, and choosing between parsimony and stochastic models. As a result of our findings, we propose Trachycosmidae new rank for a group of Australian genera formerly included in Trochanteriidae and Gallieniellidae, and consider Ammoxenidae as a junior synonym of Gnaphosidae. We restore the family rank for Prodidomidae, but transfer the subfamily Molycriinae to Gnaphosidae. Drassinella is transferred to Liocranidae, Donuea to Corinnidae, and Mahafalytenus to Viridasiidae.

Darwin's bark spider shares a spidroin repertoire with Caerostris extrusa but achieves extraordinary silk toughness through gene expression.

Spider silk is a protein-based material whose toughness suggests possible novel applications. A particularly fascinating example of silk toughness is provided by Darwin's bark spider (Caerostris darwini) found in Madagascar. This spider produces extraordinarily tough silk, with an average toughness of 350 MJ m-1 and over 50% extensibility, and can build river-bridging webs with a size of 2.8 m2. Recent studies have suggested that specific spidroins expressed in C. darwini are responsible for the mechanical properties of its silk. Therefore, a more comprehensive investigation of spidroin sequences, silk thread protein contents and phylogenetic conservation among closely related species is required. Here, we conducted genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of C. darwini and its close relative Caerostris extrusa. A variety of spidroins and low-molecular-weight proteins were found in the dragline silk of these species; all of the genes encoding these proteins were conserved in both genomes, but their genes were more expressed in C. darwini. The potential to produce very tough silk is common in the genus Caerostris, and our results may suggest the existence of plasticity allowing silk mechanical properties to be changed by optimizing related gene expression in response to the environment.

Further revision of the mesh-web spider genus Taira Lehtinen, 1967 (Amaurobiidae), with the description of six new species.

The cribellate, Asian endemic, spider genus, Taira is further studied, and six new species are recognized and described from China and Eastern Malaysia (Borneo): Taira borneoensis sp. nov. (♀), Taira gyaisiensis sp. nov. (♀), Taira nyagqukaensis sp. nov. (♀), Taira wanzhouensis sp. nov. (♂♀), Taira xuanenensis sp. nov. (♂) and Taira yangi sp. nov. (♂♀). Males of Taira latilabiata Zhang, Zhu Song, 2008 and Taira obtusa Zhang, Zhu Song, 2008 are also described for the first time. Drawings of the copulatory organs of the six new species, and comparative photos of the habitus and copulatory organs of all described species are provided, except for the male palp of the type species, T. flavidorsalis (Yaginuma, 1964). New records of known species and distribution maps are presented.

Converging on the orb: denser taxon sampling elucidates spider phylogeny and new analytical methods support repeated evolution of the orb web.

High throughput sequencing and phylogenomic analyses focusing on relationships among spiders have both reinforced and upturned long-standing hypotheses. Likewise, the evolution of spider webs-perhaps their most emblematic attribute-is being understood in new ways. With a matrix including 272 spider species and close arachnid relatives, we analyze and evaluate the relationships among these lineages using a variety of orthology assessment methods, occupancy thresholds, tree inference methods and support metrics. Our analyses include families not previously sampled in transcriptomic analyses, such as Symphytognathidae, the only araneoid family absent in such prior works. We find support for the major established spider lineages, including Mygalomorphae, Araneomorphae, Synspermiata, Palpimanoidea, Araneoidea and the Retrolateral Tibial Apophysis Clade, as well as the uloborids, deinopids, oecobiids and hersiliids Grade. Resulting trees are evaluated using bootstrapping, Shimodaira-Hasegawa approximate likelihood ratio test, local posterior probabilities and concordance factors. Using structured Markov models to assess the evolution of spider webs while accounting for hierarchically nested traits, we find multiple convergent occurrences of the orb web across the spider tree-of-life. Overall, we provide the most comprehensive spider tree-of-life to date using transcriptomic data and use new methods to explore controversial issues of web evolution, including the origins and multiple losses of the orb web.

Key to medically relevant Italian spider bites: a practical quick recognition tool for clinicians.

INTRODUCTION: Spider bites are often overestimated because there are no specific clinical or histopathological aspects that characterize them, and skin lesions that resemble a spider bite are often wrongly considered to be a "true spider bite". However, even in case of a true spider bite, it is almost impossible to confirm the biting species, since very often neither physicians nor patients are trained in spider identification. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to provide clinicians with a rapid and simple recognition of the few Italian medically relevant spiders, in order to take relative medical measures in case of spider bites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We defined spiders of considerable medical relevance the ones that cause local symptoms with possible systemic involvement, while we defined spiders with mild medical relevance the ones whose bite is not a medical emergency but is particularly painful or can cause lasting symptoms. We focused on the identification of the four spider taxa of major clinical interest through a brief descriptive, photographic and graphic guide, in association to dermatological manifestations. RESULTS: Spiders of considerable medical relevance are Loxosceles rufescens and Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, while spiders of less severe medical relevance are Steatoda paykulliana, S. nobilis, S. grossa, Cheiracanthium punctorium, Amblyocarenum spp. and Macrothele calpeiana (the presence of the latter in Italy is only accidental and very sporadic). The only species capable of causing necrosis is Loxo-sceles rufescens, while Latrodectus tredecimguttatus can cause more systemic symptoms. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: With the aim of promoting a first and rapid recognition of the species, we performed a morphological usable aspect for an initial and quick recognition according to an identification key.

New Data on Latrodectus tredecimguttatus Rossi, 1790, the Medically Important Spider Species (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Iran.

Spiders are one of the most important orders of Arachnida comprising more than 48,000 species in the world. Except for families Uloboridae and Holarchaeidae, all others are classified as the venomous spider. However, only about 200 species are medically relevant and cause public health problems or even death. In Iran, there are 51 families and 763 species of spiders, of which the families, Theridiidae and Sicariidae are dangerous for the human being, and the first one is more prevalent. The Latrodectus is considered one of the most poisonous spiders in the world and Iran. This genus has five species in Iran, among which Latrodectus tredecimguttatus (black widow spider or “Dolmak”) is considered one of the most poisonous spiders in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate this species in the Northwest of Iran (West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil provinces, Iran). Spatial distribution maps were prepared using GIS 9.4. In the current study, five adult female spiders were collected from Germi and Ardabil cities (Ardabil Province), Ahar County (East Azerbaijan province), and Urmia city (West Azerbaijan province) of Iran. These species were first observed in Ardabil province, Iran. Therefore, the presence of Latrodectus species under the rocks in wheat farms in this corner of Iran may be a threat to farms and visitors. People in these areas should wear gloves and avoid any activity that disturbs the spiders and make them aggressive.

Notes on Indian wolf spiders: I. Genus Evippa Simon, 1882 (Araneae: Lycosidae, Evippinae).

Indian wolf spider species of the genus Evippa Simon, 1882 based on the type material available in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata are revised. One new synonymy is recognised: Evippa mandlaensis Gajbe, 2004 syn. nov. is synonymised with Wadicosa fidelis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872). All the type material examined are imaged and supplementary descriptions for Evippa shivajii Tikader Malhotra, 1980, Evippa sohani Tikader Malhotra, 1980, and Evippa solanensis Tikader Malhotra, 1980 are provided.

Taxonomic notes on a pirate spider occurring in China (Araneae, Mimetidae).

Based on molecular analysis (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA and histone H3) and morphological characters, it was found that Ero juhuaensis Xu, Wang Wang, 1987 is misplaced and belongs to Mimetus Hentz, 1832. A new combination is suggested, Mimetus juhuaensis (Xu et al., 1987) new combination. The male of M. juhuaensis is described for the first time. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of both sexes, as well as a distribution map of all known species of Mimetidae Simon, 1881 from China are provided.

Description of four new species of the spider genus Euryopis Menge, 1868, with new records from Brazil (Araneae, Theridiidae, Hadrotarsinae).

The spider genus Euryopis Menge, 1868 (Theridiidae) currently comprises 76 described species worldwide and only two described species from Brazil and none for Bolivia. In this paper four new species of Euryopis from Brazil and Bolivia are described and illustrated: Euryopis candiota n. sp.; Euryopis nasuta n. sp.; Euryopis catarinensis n. sp. all from Brazil and Euryopis boliviensis n. sp. from Bolivia. New records from Brazil are provided for E. camis Levi, 1963 and E. spinifera O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1895.