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Keywords
- Central Europe (1)
- Cnephalocotes pusillus (1)
- Diversity (1)
- Mecopisthes perpusillus (1)
- Mecopisthes pusillus (1)
- Meloneta alpica (1)
- Microneta pusilla (1)
- Poland (1)
- dwarf-shrub heath (1)
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Spider (Arachnida: Araneae) distribution across the timberline in the Swiss Central Alps (Alp Flix, Grisons) and three morphologically remarkable species
(2007)
- We collected 6251 adult epigeic spiders from the dwarf-shrub heath to subalpine coniferous forest on Alp Flix (CH, canton Grisons, 1950 m) between May 2005 and May 2006 using pitfall traps. Total species richness and activity density of all species decreased from the open land to the forest, although this pattern varied according to family. The distribution of the 102 species found indicates that the small area around a single tree at the timberline provides habitats for both open land and forest spider species as well as some possible timberline specialists. Five species were new to the canton Grisons: Centromerita bicolor, Centromerita concinna, Hilaira excisa, Meioneta alpica and Tallusia experta. Three species showed remarkable morphological characteristics and were analysed in more detail. We found males of Pelecopsis radicicola without the characteristic longitudinal depression on the raised carapace. It is shown that the males of Meioneta alpica have a considerably variable lamella characteristica, which is nevertheless distinct from the sister species Meioneta ressli. Because we found intermediate forms of the head region described for Metopobactrus prominulus and M. schenkeli, respectively, M. schenkeli is considered a syn. nov. of M. prominulus. This study shows that the known distribution and taxonomic status of various spider taxa in the Central Alps are still incomplete and further work on arthropods in remote areas should be strongly encouraged.
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First record of Hypsocephalus dahli in Switzerland with a review of its distribution, ecology and taxonomy (Araneae, Linyphiidae)
(2008)
- The spider species Hypsocephalus dahli (Lessert, 1909) is recorded for the first time in Switzerland from museum material collected in 1974. The information given in the literature and unpublished data on this rare species are summarised including an annotated distribution map. All published pictures of males are compared with the holotype. Figures of the male palp and the vulva of the Swiss specimens are provided.
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Bericht vom 24. Europäischen Kongress der Arachnologie in Bern (25.–29.8.2008)
(2008)
- Kongressbericht
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Hypsocephalus dahli is a junior synonym of Microneta pusilla (Araneae, Linyphiidae)
(2009)
- Comparison of the detailed species-specific original drawings of Microneta pusilla Menge, 1869 with the holotype of Hypsocephalus dahli (Lessert, 1909) and the record of one female close to the type locality of Microneta pusilla in Gdansk, Poland indicate that Hypsocephalus dahli is a junior synonym of Microneta pusilla. Hypsocephalus pusillus (Menge, 1869) is therefore proposed as the valid name for this species. Here we discuss the taxonomic status of both species and present a distribution map that accounts for records in Poland.
