Arachnologische Mitteilungen, Heft 50 (2015)
Refine
Year of publication
- 2015 (5)
Document Type
- Article (5)
Language
- English (5)
Has Fulltext
- yes (5)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (5)
Keywords
- Iran (2)
- Pseudoscorpiones (2)
- distribution (2)
- Central Europe (1)
- DNA preservation (1)
- Dänemark (1)
- Fagus sylvatica (1)
- GBOL (German Barcode of Life) (1)
- Hessen (1)
- Lycosidae (1)
In 1990 the Federal State of Hesse (Germany) started a long-term faunistic research programme in selected Strict Forest Reserves. Here we report the results of the inventory of pseudoscorpions from seven reserves: Goldbachs- und Ziebachsrück, Hasenblick, Hohestein, Kinzigaue, Niddahänge east of Rudingshain, Schönbuche and Stirnberg. A total of 4567 specimens (315-1314 per site) belonging to 13 species (4-9 per site) were recorded using a broad spectrum of methods. The bulk of material comes from pitfall traps (83 %), followed by various types of stem eclectors (16 %). The structure and quality of the species assemblage in the oak-dominated flood plain forest of the Kinzigaue differs strongly from those of the remaining reserves, which are all dominated by beech. In the Kinzigaue a species-rich community (9 species) with balanced dominance structure (Shannon-Index 1.67) has been recorded. At this site, rare or moderately common species reach abundance proportions of more than 50 %. Most importantly, two species with strong affinities to pristine forests, Dendrochernes cyrneus and Chernes cimicoides, were exclusively recorded from this reserve. In contrast, the beech-dominated reserves were strongly dominated by a single species, Neobisium carcinoides (59-91 % of the specimens, Shannon-Index < 1), and the abundance proportion of the very common species exceeded 90 % in each of these areas. Temperature and altitude determine the composition of the species communities significantly. Of the recorded species, two will be categorized in the forthcoming Red Lists of pseudoscorpions of Germany and Hesse. Dendrochernes cyrneus (cat. 3 "vulnerable") reached an abundance proportion of 20 % in the reserve Kinzigaue. Dinocheirus panzeri (cat. G "indeterminate risk") has been recorded in single specimens from the reserves Hasenblick, Stirnberg and Niddahänge. The preferred habitat for most of the species is the forest. Species with strong affinities to forests make up more than 95 % of the specimens in all reserves except for Kinzigaue, where this proportion was 89 %. Species richness and abundances were not different between the Strict Forest Reserves (management was stopped at the end of the 1980’s) and the reference areas with continued forestry. However, the proportions of rare and moderately common species were higher in the Strict Reserves as compared to the reference areas.
The usefulness of propylene glycol as capture preservative in pitfall traps, with the aim of using the captured spiders for DNA barcoding, was tested. For this purpose a laboratory experiment on the conserving and/or denaturing effect of propylene glycol on mitochondrial DNA (COI) was set up. For the experiment 110 specimens of the common and abundant wolf spider species Pardosa lugubris were manually captured, killed and incubated from one to four weeks in either pure or watered propylene glycol or 70 % denatured ethanol. Rates of successful sequencing, following a standard protocol, did not differ between samples incubated in propylene glycol and in the more commonly used ethanol. Thus, within four weeks, propylene glycol did not significantly denaturize mitochondrial DNA. In two field studies, pitfall traps with propylene glycol captured more spiders than traps with acetic acid. The effect was significant only in one of two field trials, but then consistent at three different sites and the three dominant spider families. Based on these results and our operating experience, we recommend propylene glycol as a capture preservative for (pitfall) traps to obtain specimens for DNA barcoding identification.
Pitfall trapping in the National Park Thy, north-western Jutland, Denmark, in 2011 and 2013 revealed 3654 specimens of the harvestman Nelima gothica. In most European countries, including Denmark, this species has been considered rare and little information is available on its biology. The species was found predominantly in the yellow dune habitat close to the North Sea coast. Here it could be either very abundant or completely absent at localities only a few kilometres apart. It also occurred in lower numbers in the grey dunes and the dune heathland, and was rare in managed grassland; it disappeared from habitats further inland. In the yellow dunes high numbers were recorded especially in rather dense Ammophila arenaria vegetation not disturbed by sand shifting. The phenology follows the typical pattern of North-European Phalangiidae and Leiobuninae: an annual life-cycle with juveniles developing through late spring and summer months, reproduction in autumn and hibernation in the egg stage. The findings suggest that N. gothica may be found all along the coastal dunes of western Denmark and possibly the Wadden Sea area, though it may only locally reach high abundances. Earlier records also included the coasts of eastern Denmark.
The spider collection of the Zoological Museum of the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection was studied during the summer of 2014. A total of 180 specimens, belonging to 25 families, 60 genera and 77 species were documented. Of these, the following nine species could be recorded from Iran for the first time: Alopecosa schmidti (Hahn, 1835), Anyphaena accentuata (Walckenaer, 1802), Crustulina sticta (O. P.-Cambridge, 1861), Enoplognatha mordax (Thorell, 1875), Ero tuberculata (De Geer, 1778), Salticus zebraneus (C. L. Koch, 1837), Pardosa aenigmatica Tongiorgi, 1966, Pardosa nebulosa (Thorell, 1872) and Tmarus piochardi (Simon, 1866). Morphological and geographical data are provided for the newly recorded species. Two species (P. aenigmatica and T. piochardi) are illustrated and a map of localities is given.
Recent collections of pseudoscorpions resulted in a first record and a new species from Iran. Olpium omanense Mahnert, 1991 originally described from Oman is recorded for the first time from Iran. Three congeneric species with similar morphometric characters and trichobothrial patterns, Olpium intermedium Beier, 1959, O. lindbergi, Beier, 1959 and O. omanense can be separated by the setal numbers on the posterior margin of the carapace and tergite I. Also, specimens reported as Olpium lindbergi Beier, 1951 from Pakistan were probably misidentified and belong to O. omanense. The new species Cardiolpium bisetosum sp. nov. is described based on males from Markazi province, western Iran. Morphometric data are given in comparison to related species.