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Agroeca gaunitzi Tullgren, 1952 is stated here to be a junior synonym of A. proxima (O. P.-Cambridge, 1871). The illustrations of the male palp attributed to A. proxima in papers by Tullgren of 1946 and 1952 in fact show A. inopina O. P.-Cambridge, 1886. The record of A. inopina from Finland, quite outside its known distribution range, was based on a misidentification. It is argued that the type species of the genus Agroeca Westring, 1861 should be A. proxima (O. P.-Cambridge, 1871), not A. brunnea (Blackwall, 1833) as currently applied. Protagroeca Lohmander, 1944 is placed as an objective synonym of Agroeca Westring, 1861.
The wolf spider Pardosa schenkeli Lessert, 1904 was since long regarded as occurring in Germany and Poland but is excluded from the recent checklist of spiders found in these countries. Re-examination of material collected in Germany and Poland, respectively, verifies its presence in both countries. Characters for distinguishing P. schenkeli and its ally P. bifasciata (C.L. Koch, 1834) are given and illustrated.
During the post-colloquium excursion of the 18th European Colloquium of Arachnology in Slovakia in July 1999, I had the opportunity to collect a small material of wolf spiders at the boundary of the Slovak Paradise National Park c. 20 km south of Poprad. Except for two common species [Pardosa palustris (UNNAEUS) and P. pullata (CLERCK)], numerous females of Pardosa fulvipes (COLLETT) were taken. An additional specimen of the latter was captured at Stara Lesna close to the High Tatras National Park. P. fulvipes was not included in the catalogue of spider species recorded from Slovakia (GAJDOS et al. 1999) though it may previously have been overlooked due to misidentification with some other species in the pullata group.
In spring 1997, while "surfing" on the Internet, I came across the zoological database of "Archivio faunistico delta Laguna di Venezia". Among the species listed was Sitticus rupicola (C. L. KOCH), a species newly studied in connection with the description of the allied species Sitticus inexpectus LOGUNOV & KRONESTEDT (1997). The information in the database caught my interest because it referred to a record from an area close to the sea. While S. rupicola is confined to higher altitudes, S. inexpectus [previously confused with S. rupicola and S. caricis (WESTRING)] has been found in lowland localities, part of them close to the sea.
The fauna of wolf spiders is rather well-known in certain parts of the Balkan Peninsula, in others less so. While extensive collecting has been undertaken in Bulgaria (summarized in DEL TSHEV & BLAGOEV 1995), other parts, like Greece, still await to be better explored. During a short visit to Greece in 1995, two of my colleagues at the Swedish Museum of Natural History brought back a small collection of spiders. Among the spiders (captured by trapping) were numerous males of tIycosid Aulonia kratochvili DUNIN, BUCHAR et ABSOLON. This species was recently described from both sexes, collected in Azerbaijan (DUNIN et al. 1986) and also found in Turkmenia (SW Kopetdagh: sub "Aulonia sp.n." in FET 1985; MIKHAILOV 1997). Its occurrence in Greece indicates a Pontomediterranean distribution.
Pardosa benadira Caporiacco, 1940 is redescribed, including the hitherto unknown female. The species is here transferred to the genus Wadicosa Zyuzin, 1985. Previously known only from its type locality in Somalia, additional localities for P. benadira in Somalia and Kenya are given. Male and female W. cognata sp. nov. (Kenya: Lake Magadi), male and female W. jocquei sp. nov. (Comoro Islands, Aldabra, Madagascar and Mauritius) and female W. russellsmithi sp. nov. (Mauritius) are described. Pardosa oncka Lawrence, 1927, widely distributed in Africa and redescribed by Kronestedt in 1987, is formally transferred to the genus Wadicosa and new records given.
