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The females of Zodarion samos Bosmans, 2009 and Zodarion varoli Akpınar, 2016 are described for the first time. Z. samos Bosmans, 2009 is further a new record to the Turkish araneofauna. Characteristic features and photographs of both species are presented, and known localities in Turkey are provided. Previous records of Zodarion rubidum Simon, 1914, and Zodarion ruffoi Caporiacco, 1951 from Turkey are based on misidentifications and shall be omitted from the national species list.

Spiders collected as part of a rapid biodiversity survey in lowland forest in Democratic Republic Congo contained a new species of Cangoderces Harington, 1951 (Telemidae). The male of the new Cangoderces wewef sp. n. is characterized by the male palp with a deep triangular dorsal indentation of the bulbus and the apophyses at the base of the embolus. The female is recognized by the shape of the sclerotized spermatheca in the endogyne. The presence of the species in DR Congo fills the huge distribution gap between the species known from South Africa, Kenya and western Africa.

Five funnel-web spiders in the genus Macrothele are widely distributed to Taiwan. We herein reported the severe case of a woman bitten by a male Macrothele gigas who present with autonomic (i.e., profuse sweating and piloerection), cardiovascular (hypertension and tachycardia), and neurologic effects (perioral numbness) in addition to local tissue swelling and regional limb pain. Morphine and ampicillin/sulbactam were administered. Her cardiovascular, neurologic, and local symptoms gradually improved, and thus was discharged 24 h post-bite. However, persistent diaphoresis and piloerection lasted for at least 3 days, and pre-renal azotemia was suspected. Due to the risk of severity and death reported for the Australian funnel web spider bites, we suggest patients bitten by an Asian funnel-web spider be carefully monitored and resuscitation performed as indicated.

A new ant-like spider species of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Mazax akephaloi sp. nov., representing the second species of Mazax recorded from South America, is described from the Bolivian orocline and the Paraguayan Chaco region. The new species superficially resembles Mazax ramirezi Rubio & Danişman, 2014, but can be distinguished from this species and all other congeners by a combination of the following characters: feathery setae on the carapace, a tibia I spine formula of 5–4 in males and 5–5 in females, the embolus sub-apical with a spatulate extension, the lung-shaped spermathecae II and slightly undulating copulatory ducts. Adults of M. akephaloi sp. nov. were observed foraging in association with workers of the ant Ectatomma permagnum Forel, 1908 on the ground or leaf litter along forest edges. Although the spiders were lacking a structure imitating the head of the ants, they shared several characters (dark brown integument with distinct, coarse wrinkles and shiny reflections, abdomen anteriorly with dorsally pointing process and distinct median constriction) that increased the species-specific similarity to their potential ant models.

The euophryine genus Charippus Thorell, 1895 is revised and eight new species are described: Charippus asper Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. bukittimah Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. callainus Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. denjii Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. heishiding Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. kubah Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀), C. minotaurus Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀) and C. wanlessi Yu, Maddison & Zhang, sp. nov. (♂ ♀). A new combination for Charippus yunnanensis (Cao & Li, 2016) comb. nov. (ex. Cytaea Keyserling, 1882) is proposed, and its female is described for the first time. Diagnostic illustrations and photographs are provided for all known species.

The genus Phrurotimpus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935, previously known only from the Nearctic, is found in Asia for the first time, with species recorded from the Yunnan Province of China. Two new species are described from both sexes, P. daliensis sp. n. and P. baoshanensis sp. n., and one new combination, P. lasiolepis (Fu, Chen & Zhang, 2016) comb. n., are reported in this study.

Orthobula Simon, 1897 is a group of very small litter-dwelling spiders with a tropical and subtropical distribution. The genus comprises 18 species, without any records in the Neotropical realm yet. Here we describe O. sudamericana sp. nov., distributed in Argentina and Paraguay. The new species appears to be most closely related to O. chayuensis Yang, Song and Zhu, 2003. The male also resembles O. charitonovi (Mikhailov, 1986). Orthobula sudamericana sp. nov. females differ from these species by the straight and parallel insemination ducts, and males by the centrally located, U-shaped sperm duct. Further, we summarize details on its natural history and habitat characteristics.

The genus Latrodectus contains the most medically important spiders around the world. This study describes the first case of Latrodectus cinctus Blackwall, 1865 bite and clinical treatment from Iran. Also, it is the first collection report from the southeast of the country that can enhance prior knowledge on the geographical distribution of this species. We describe a 42-year-old female patient with neurological pain caused by the spider bite. Also, a summary of the entomological survey and morphological identification of the collected species from the patient’s house is presented.

Sperm competition drives traits that enhance fertilization success. The amount of sperm transferred relative to competitors is key for attaining paternity. Female reproductive morphology and male mating order may also influence fertilization, however the outcome for sperm precedence under intense sperm competition remains poorly understood. In the polyandrous spider Pisaura mirabilis, males offer nuptial gifts which prolong copulation and increase sperm transfer, factors proposed to alter sperm precedence patterns under strong sperm competition. First, we assessed the degree of female polyandry by genotyping wild broods. A conservative analysis identified up to four sires, with a mean of two sires per brood, consistent with an optimal mating female rate. Then we asked whether intense sperm competition shifts sperm precedence patterns from first male priority, as expected from female morphology, to last male advantage. We varied sexual selection intensity experimentally and determined competitive fertilization outcome by genotyping broods. In double matings, one male monopolised paternity regardless of mating order. A mating order effect with first male priority was revealed when females were mated to four males, however this effect disappeared when females were mated to six males, probably due to increased sperm mixing. The proportion of males that successfully sired offspring drastically decreased with the number of competitors. Longer copulations translated into higher paternity shares independently of mating order, reinforcing the advantage of traits that prolong copulation duration under intense competition, such as the nuptial gift. Sperm competition intensity enhances the impact of competitive sexual traits and imposes multiple effects on paternity.

Cannibalism is common in spiders. Wolf spider (Lycosidae) females, which exhibit extensive maternal care, have been reported to cannibalize less when they are carrying egg sacs and juveniles. In a laboratory experiment, we demonstrated that cannibalism of early-instar spiderlings (EIS) by a wolf spider (Pardosa pseudoannulata) mother was almost completely inhibited when she was carrying spiderlings. Compared with virgin and mated-females, mother spiders tolerated more and predated fewer spiderlings, including gregarious pulli and newly dispersed spiderlings (NDS). Cannibalism of EIS by females during their reproductive period exhibited a V-shaped pattern, with a gradual decrease from the egg sac-carrying to pulli-carrying (PC) stage, and a recovery from the PC stage to post-reproductive (PR) stage. Notably, there was 0 cannibalism at the PC stage. PC females exhibited no interest in pulli, while PR females were attracted to and predated pulli and NDS as they did their natural prey, Nilaparvata lugens. Interestingly, PC females captured and released NDS in a foraging assay, although attraction was observed from olfactometer measurements. PC mothers possessed a cuticular volatile profile that was closer to that of pulli and NDS than to that of PR females. Moreover, NDS cuticular extract provoked an electrophysiological response in legs of PC females. Therefore, cuticular compound-mediated chemical communication may be involved in inhibiting cannibalism of EIS by spider mothers, and especially in eliminating cannibalism by PC mothers. Future studies will aim to characterize the specific cuticular compounds and chemoreception mechanism in females, which will facilitate our understanding of intraspecific recognition and cannibalism in spiders.

This paper reports four new species of the primitively segmented spider genus Songthela from Chongqing Municipality, China, based on morphological characters of both males and females: S. jinyun sp. nov., S. longbao sp. nov., S. serriformis sp. nov. and S. wangerbao sp. nov. We also provide the GenBank accession codes of mitochondrial DNA barcode gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), for the holotype of four new species for future identification.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a serious heavy metal pollution in paddy fields, but its effect and underlying mechanism on soil arthropod overwintering and cold resistance are still unclear. In the present study, adult females of the wolf spider Pirata subpiraticus exposed to Cd stress underwent a simulated temperature process (25℃ → 16℃ → 8℃ → 4℃). The mortality rate and content of nutrients in the Cd-treated spiders were dramatically elevated after low-temperature treatment compared to those in the Cd-free control spiders under the same temperature condition. To uncover the putative modulatory mechanism of Cd on cold tolerance in P. subpiraticus, we employed an in-depth RNA sequencing analysis and yielded a total of 888 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Besides, we characterized genes that participate in multiple cryoprotectant syntheses, including arginine, cysteine, glucose, glycerol, heat shock protein, and mannose. The enrichment analyses found that most of the DEGs involved in biological processes and pathways were related to carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. Notably, ten Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, such as starch and sucrose metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, mineral absorption, and vitamin digestion and absorption, were distinctively enriched with downregulated genes. Meanwhile, we also identified that seven DEGs might inhibit the KEGG pathway of ovarian steroidogenesis and potentially cripple ovarian function and fecundity in the spider. The decreased egg sac weight, number of hatched spiderlings, and vitellin concentration further supported the view that Cd exposure vitiates the overwintering spider's fecundity. Collectively, the comparative analysis provides a novel perspective regarding the survival response and fecundity on the cold tolerance of spiders under Cd stress and offers a profound insight for evaluating Cd-induced toxicity on overwintering arthropods.

Three new species of the araneid spider genera Carepalxis L. Koch, 1872 and Ocrepeira Marx, 1883 from Central Brazil are described and illustrated: Carepalxis topazio new species, based on a single female from Cristalina; C. quasimodo new species, from Brasília and Jaborandi based on females and a male, this being the first male of Carepalxis described in the American continent; and Ocrepeira planalto new species, based on males and females from Cavalcante, Cristalina, Jaborandi and Alto Paraíso. A key to Carepalxis females in the New World is provided. Furthermore, the similarity between American Carepalxis and Ocrepeira is discussed, with diagnostic considerations.

Liolaemus duellmani is a microendemic lizard described from southern Mendoza, Argentina, representing the southernmost distribution of the Liolaemus montanus species group. The original description was based on a small batch of preserved material and a juvenile collected alive. Along the years, this poorly known species was rarely collected or observed in the field, with no additional reports or findings published until a recent description of an adult female which was considered as a rediscovery of the species. Here, we redescribe the species and describe variation on external morphology, coloration, and some natural history observations.

Summary Envenomation due to a Loxosceles spider bite is a rare event in France and no case concerning the breast has yet been reported. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman who presented at Saint-Etienne University Hospital with a pulsatile pain in her left breast two days after feeling a fleeting bite. An abscess was diagnosed and antibiotics were prescribed. A few days later, a necrotic zone appeared around the areola and 75 percent of the surrounding skin was inflamed. The patient reported a persistent fever and a burning pain in her breast. Loxoscelism was finally concluded and surgical debridement was undertaken, followed by supervised wound therapy and local skin care. Complete healing was achieved after 4 weeks of treatment. The diagnosis of loxoscelism is generally presumptive, as the bite is usually painless and the spider rarely captured. Its diagnosis should be considered when an abscess responds poorly to antibiotics.

An efficient immune system is essential to the survival of many animals. Sociality increases risk of pathogen transmission, which should select for enhanced immune function. However, two hypotheses instead predict a weakened immune function: relaxed selection caused by social immunity/protection, and reduced efficacy of selection due to inbreeding, reproductive skew and female bias in social species that reduce effective population size and accelerate genetic drift. We assessed the effect of social evolution on immune function in a comparative study of two social spider species and their closely related subsocial sister species (genus Stegodyphus ). The haemolymph of social species was less efficient in inhibiting bacterial growth of the potentially pathogenic bacteria Bacillus subtilis than that of subsocial species. Reduced efficacy of selection in social species was supported by comparative genomic analysis showing substantially elevated non-synonymous substitutions in immune genes in one of the social species. We propose that impaired immune function results from reduced efficacy of selection because the evolution of sociality in spiders is accompanied by demographic processes that elevate genetic drift. Positive feedback between pathogen-induced local extinctions and the resulting elevation of genetic drift may further weaken responses to selection by pathogens, and threaten species persistence.

The aim of this paper is to describe a new species of the genus Loxosceles Heineken & Lowe, 1832 from Morocco, Loxosceles imazighen sp. n., and to describe for the first time a female of Loxoxceles mrazig Ribera & Planas, 2009 from Tunisia. Both species live in xeric and desert environments and are located in southern Atlas Range. Molecular phylogenetic analyses, using mitochondrial (cox1, 16S) and nuclear (H3, 28S) markers, revel that these species are closely related and that they constitute a separate evolutionary lineage of L. rufescens (Dufour, 1820) and of the set of endemic species of the Canary Islands. L. imazighen sp. n. differs from L. mrazig, the closest species morphologically and geographically, in the shapes and proportions of the male palpal tibia and the shapes and dispositions of the female seminal receptacles. In addition, L. mrazig females show morphological variability in their genitalia, mainly in the inner and outer lobes. Although that variability cannot be associated with different populations, since it also appears within individual populations, and is not related to genetic or geographic distances.

Gypogyna Simon, 1900 is revised. Three species are recognized and diagnosed. The type species, Gypogyna forceps Simon, 1900, is redescribed and recorded from several localities in South America. Gypogyna amazonica Ruiz sp. nov. is described based on a male from Manaus, Brazil. Gypogyna mexicana Ruiz & Bustamante sp. nov. is described based on specimens of both sexes from the state of Jalisco, Mexico. In addition, some comments on cheliceral dentiton and genital morphology are discussed.

Lycosidae females demonstrate meticulous maternal care of offspring by carrying egg sacs and juvenile spiderlings during the reproductive stage. Nuclear receptors (NRs), especially the ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP), have attracted considerable attention in the regulation of arthropod development and reproduction due to their pivotal roles in ecdysteroid signaling cascades. In the present study, 23生殖期的狼蛛科雌蛛通过携带卵袋和幼蛛表现出细致的母性照料。在节肢动物的生长发育和生殖调控中，蜕皮激素受体EcR和超气门蛋白USP等核受体因介导蜕皮激素信号而备受关注。该研究在捕食性狼蛛——拟环纹豹蛛基因组中共鉴定到23个核受体基因，包括1个

The use of pesticides for plague control in agroecosystems generates a threat to wildlife and a major problem for human health. Pesticide compounds are also an important source of water and atmosphere contamination. Although insecticides are effective on their target organisms, they often affect organisms that are not their target The aim of the present study was to research the effects of three types of neurotoxic insecticides-a pyrethroid (cypermethrin), a neonicotinoid (imidacloprid) and an organophosphate (chlorpyrifos)-on behavioral and physiological parameters of Pardosa saltans spider (Lycosidae). This study analyzed for the first time the exploratory behavior of the spider mothers in the presence of these three insecticides on their egg-sacs and also on the ground. It was also evaluated the oxidative stress effects on the juveniles hatched in the egg-sac protected by silk in relation to variations of detoxification enzymes (catalase, glutathione of action, such as spiders, which are agrobionts of great importance in agroecosystems. reductase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione-S-transferase and glutathione peroxidase) and lipid peroxidation (reactive oxygen species or ROS). The results show that these insecticides are repellents for mothers (cypermethrin is the most repellent) and maternal behavior is modified after detection of an insecticide on their egg-sac but mothers do not abandon their egg-sac. These neurotoxic insecticides affect the juveniles inside their egg-sac. Cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos caused more oxidative stress in juveniles than did imidacloprid. The ROS generated by these insecticides seemed to be adequately eliminated by the juveniles' antioxidant systems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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.

Five new species of mimetid spiders from China are described: Mimetus subulatus n. sp., M. clavatus n. sp., M. dentatus n. sp., M. niveosignatus n. sp. and M. uncatus n. sp. The phylogenetic placement of these new species is inferred based on a cladistic analysis of an expanded version of the morphological dataset of Benavides and Hormiga (2020). The new species form a clade that can be distinguished from other Mimetus species by the presence of a subtegular apophysis between paracymbium and subtegulum, pilose cuticular projections on the membranous part of the conductor in the male palp and by a bicameral structure of the spermathecae in females. The new species are part of a clade that includes Mimetus syllepsicus Hentz, 1832, the type species of the genus. The genus Mimetus as currently circumscribed is not monophyletic, as the clade that includes all the Mimetus species also includes the genera Australomimetus Heimer, 1986 and Anansi Benavides and Hormiga, 2017, corroborating the results of Benavides and Hormiga (2020).

Three species of the genus Miagrammopes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 are described from China, including two new species, M. rutundus Liang & Xu, n. sp. from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and M. auriculatus Cai & Xu, n. sp. from Tibet Autonomous Region, and one known species, M. bifurcatus Dong, Yan, Zhu & Song, 2004. The female of M. bifurcatus is described for the first time. Both detailed illustration and a distribution map of the three species are provided.

Objectives Arachnids have fascinating and unique biology, particularly for questions on sex differences and behavior, creating the potential for development of powerful emerging models in this group. Recent advances in genomic techniques have paved the way for a significant increase in the breadth of genomic studies in non-model organisms. One growing area of research is comparative transcriptomics. When phylogenetic relationships to model organisms are known, comparative genomic studies provide context for analysis of homologous genes and pathways. The goal of this study was to lay the groundwork for comparative transcriptomics of sex differences in the brain of wolf spiders, a non-model organism of the pyhlum Euarthropoda, by generating transcriptomes and analyzing gene expression. Data description To examine sex-differential gene expression, short read transcript sequencing and de novo transcriptome assembly were performed. Messenger RNA was isolated from brain tissue of male and female subadult and mature wolf spiders (Schizocosa ocreata). The raw data consist of sequences for the two different life stages in each sex. Computational analyses on these data include de novo transcriptome assembly and differential expression analyses. Sample-specific and combined transcriptomes, gene annotations, and differential expression results are described in this data note and are available from publicly-available databases.

Snakes and spiders are two of the most commonly feared animals worldwide, yet we know very little about the mechanisms by which such fears are acquired. We explored whether negative information about snakes and spiders from parents shapes children's fear beliefs. Study 1 included 27 parents (22 mothers, five fathers) and children (12 female, 15 male

A new genus in the spider family Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877 is described from Asia: Bowie gen. nov. belongs to the subfamily Cteninae and all members formerly described were placed so far in the genus Ctenus Walckenaer, 1805. After morphological as well as preliminary molecular characters were checked, it was clear that a new genus had to be erected to accommodate this predominantly Asian lineage of ground-dwelling spiders. As is the case in most Ctenidae generally, it was not easy to find apomorphic characters diagnosing this new taxon. Therefore, a combination of morphological characters is used to define all congeners. An important and newly introduced character in this respect is –among others– the fused patellar crack of the male palp. Forty-nine valid species are transferred to the new genus (first country/province records of particular species underlined): Bowie martensi (Jäger, 2012) comb. nov. (Nepal), B. bomdilaensis (Tikader & Malhotra, 1981) comb. nov. (India), B. indicus (Gravely, 1931) comb. nov. (India), B. cladarus (Jäger, 2012) comb. nov. (Myanmar), B. pingu (Jäger & Minn, 2015) comb. nov. (Myanmar), B. natmataung (Jäger & Minn, 2015) comb. nov. (Myanmar), B. sikkimensis (Gravely, 1931) comb. nov. (India), B. ramosus (Thorell, 1887) comb. nov. (Myanmar), B. goaensis (Bastawade & Borkar, 2008) comb. nov. (India), B. himalayensis (Gravely, 1931) comb. nov. (India), B. meghalayaensis (Tikader, 1976) comb. nov. (India), B. narashinhai (Patel & Reddy, 1988) comb. nov. (India), B. ceylonensis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Sri Lanka), B. andamanensis (Gravely, 1931) comb. nov. (Andaman Islands), B. kapuri (Tikader, 1973) comb. nov. (Andaman Islands), B. cochinensis (Gravely, 1931) comb. nov. (India), B. thorelli (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Sri Lanka), B. lishuqiang (Jäger, 2012) comb. nov. (China: Sichuan), B. banna (Yao & Li in Chu et al. 2022) comb. nov. (China: Yunnan), B. theodorianum (Jäger, 2012) comb. nov. (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam), B. robustus (Thorell, 1897) comb. nov. (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos), B. yaeyamensis (Yoshida, 1998) comb. nov. (Taiwan), B. yulin (Yao & Li in Chu et al. 2022) comb. nov. (China: Yunnan), B. simplex (Thorell, 1897) comb. nov. (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos), B. bayeri (Jäger 2012) comb. nov. (Laos), B. holthoffi (Jäger, 2012) comb. nov. (Laos), B. saci (Ono, 2010) comb. nov. (Vietnam), B. floweri (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. argentipes (Hasselt, 1893) comb. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula, Singapore, Indonesia: Sumatra), B. palembangensis (Strand, 1906) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), B. angigitanus (Roewer, 1938) comb. nov. (Papua New Guinea), B. pulvinatus (Thorell, 1890) comb. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak), B. hosei (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak, Brunei), B. monaghani (Jäger, 2013) comb. nov. (Laos), B. javanus (Pocock, 1897) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra, Java, Bali), B. fungifer (Thorell, 1890) comb. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. valvularis (Hasselt, 1882) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), B. bicostatus (Thorell, 1890) comb. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak), B. bantaengi (Merian, 1911) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi), B. bowonglangi (Merian, 1911) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi), B. celebensis (Pocock, 1897) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi), B. sagittatus (Giltay, 1935) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi), B. kochi (Simon, 1897b) comb. nov. (Indonesia: West Papua), B. sarawakensis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak), B. philippinensis (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) comb. nov. (Philippines), B. aruanus (Strand, 1911) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Maluku), B. angularis (Roewer, 1938) comb. nov. (Indonesia: Maluku), B. rufisternis (Pocock, 1898) comb. nov. (Papua New Guinea: New Britain), and B. corniger (F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898) comb. nov. (South Africa). For thirty-two species, illustrations of their respective copulatory organs, as well as habitus photos, are provided. Fifty-five new species are described, these are listed, together with the already described species, according to their geographic occurrence and to their affiliation to species groups as far as the latter could be recognised (type species indicated by an asterisk): Bowie hunkydory spec. nov. (Nepal), B. ziggystardust spec. nov. (Nepal), B. ladystardust spec. nov. (Nepal), B. aladdinsane spec. nov. (India), B. majortom spec. nov. (Nepal), B. jeangenie spec. nov. (India), B. heroes spec. nov. (India), B. fascination spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. low spec. nov. (Thailand), B. dodo spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. stationtostation spec. nov. (Myanmar), B. candidate spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. diamonddogs spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. yassassin spec. nov. (Taiwan), B. bemywife spec. nov. (Thailand), B. subterraneans spec. nov. (Thailand), B. afterall spec. nov. (Thailand), B. warszawa spec. nov. (Thailand), B. artdecade spec. nov. (Cambodia), B. bigbrother spec. nov. (Vietnam), *B. rebelrebel spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. youngamericans spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. right spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. stay spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. fame spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. win spec. nov. (Vietnam), B. joethelion spec. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. mossgarden spec. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. neukoeln spec. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. scarymonsters spec. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), B. teenagewildlife spec. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), B. letsdance spec. nov. (Indonesia: Java), B. crystaljapan spec. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra), B. tonight spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak), B. catpeople spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. ricochet spec. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan), B. fashion spec. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. withinyou spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak), B. abdulmajid spec. nov. (Singapore), B. blackout spec. nov. (Malaysia Peninsula), B. modernlove spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. chinagirl spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. withoutyou spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. magicdance spec. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi), B. bluejean spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. criminalworld spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. shakeit spec. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), B. ashestoashes spec. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan), B. underground spec. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan), B. lodger spec. nov. (Philippines), B. redsails spec. nov. (Philippines), B. thenextday spec. nov. (Indonesia: Papua), B. lazarus spec. nov. (Papua New Guinea), B. thiesi spec. nov. (Papua New Guinea) and B. blackstar spec. nov. (Papua New Guinea). Formerly unknown sexes are described for the first time for the following species: Bowie martensi comb. nov. (female), B. indicus comb. nov. (only male RTA tip), B. narashinhai comb. nov. (male), B. argentipes comb. nov. (female) and B. celebensis comb. nov. (male). Fourteen species groups are proposed on the basis of morphological characters: cladarus-species group (17 species), robustus-species group (14 species), bemywife-species group (2 species), rebelrebel-species group (10 species), youngamericans-species group (3 species), floweri-species group (3 species), scarymonsters-species group (2 species), teenagewildlife-species group (2 species), argentipes-species group (10 species), javanus-species group (5 species), chinagirl-species group (11 species), shakeit-species group (5 species), lodger-species group (3 species) and blackstar-species group (7 species). Thus, 93 species are grouped, leaving 11 species without a current assignment to any of these groups. Ctenus kandyensis Kim & Ye, 2014 syn. nov. is recognised as a junior synonym of Bowie thorelli comb. nov., and C. calcarifer F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 syn. nov. as junior synonym of B. sarawakensis comb. nov. Five species previously placed in Ctenus are considered nomina dubia, four of them are transferred to Bowie gen. nov., one to Nilus: Bowie barbatus (Thorell, 1895) comb. nov., B. tumidulus (Simon, 1887b) comb. nov., B. flavidus (Hogg, 1922) comb. nov., B. pollii (Hasselt, 1893) comb. nov. and Nilus marginatus (Walckenaer, 1847) comb. nov. Beside the latter species, three species are transferred from Ctenus, all of them to Anahita: A. periculosa (Bristowe, 1931) comb. nov., A. dangsa (Reddy & Patel, 1994) comb. nov. and A. tuniensis (Patel & Reddy, 1988) comb. nov. All in all, Bowie gen. nov. is the second largest genus within the family Ctenidae, with 108 species in total including nomina dubia. It occurs from Nepal in the Himalayas and South India across large parts of South and South East Asia to Papua New Guinea. One undescribed species is known from northern Australia (Queensland). Representatives are known to live in the leaf litter of forests, with most species having small distribution ranges, usually occurring within a 100 km radius. With this revision, the family Ctenidae contains now 586 species and 48 genera, and the number of species assigned to the genus Ctenus, so far used as nomenclatural “waste bin”, is reduced to 164.

The forested habitats of the west coast of North America are home to a diverse array of endemic Cybaeinae spider taxa (Araneae: RTA clade: Cybaeidae). Most of those taxa have very restricted distributions within an area of the western United States of America from the Olympic Peninsula of northwestern Washington to the northern half of the Californian Floristic Province of California, a well-known biodiversity hotspot. Here we describe Pseudocybaeota Bennett gen. nov. with type species Cybaeus perditus Chamberlin & Ivie (= Pseudocybaeota perdita (Chamberlin & Ivie) comb. nov.) and including two new species, P. butterfieldi Bennett spec. nov. and P. tuberculata Bennett spec. nov. These rarely collected species are restricted to forested habitats in small areas of the coastal watersheds of the Olympic Peninsula (P. perdita comb. nov.), southern Curry and adjacent northern Del Norte Counties in Oregon and California, respectively (P. tuberculata spec. nov.), and Humboldt County in northwestern California (P. butterfieldi spec. nov.). In addition to descriptions of the genus and both sexes of its included species we provide diagnoses, illustrations, an identification key, and distribution maps for the species of this distinctive new genus.

Three new species of the spider genus Speocera Berland, 1914, collected in ferruginous caves in the Carajás region of Pará state, Brazil are described: Speocera pinima sp. nov., S. babau sp. nov. and S. piquira sp. nov., all based on males and females. These are abundant species, which have morphological characteristics probably associated with isolation in the subterranean environment. Variation in the shape of the lateral eyes, which can be reduced, and in the eyes colloration bright or opalescent, were observed in all species in this study. These morphological variations may indicate that some populations are in the process of isolation and/or are distributed in different horizons of the subterranean environment, including the Milieu Souterrain Superficiel (MSS). An update of male and female genital structures and specializations to the subterranean environment are discussed.

Across the animal kingdom, exaggerated weaponry is frequently used by one sex to contest access for potential mates. Within species, if disproportionate investment in weaponry confers an advantage to larger individuals, this may result in positive static allometry. It is predicted that the same selective pressures may also lead to positive evolutionary allometry, where larger species bear disproportionately large weapons on average, compared with smaller species. Furthermore, in species with stronger sexual selection, the static allometries of those weapons are expected to steepen. All adult males across the New Zealand sheetweb spider genus Cambridgea bear exaggerated chelicerae, which are used to compete for control of females' webs. Here, we characterize the distribution of chelicera lengths within each sex of 12 Cambridgea species to show that chelicerae almost always exhibit positive static allometry in males while female chelicera lengths are consistently isometric. We use comparative phylogenetic methods to demonstrate that the slopes of static allometries steepen in males of larger species but that the ratio of average chelicera length to cephalothorax width is tightly conserved across taxa, leading to an isometric evolutionary allometry. While static allometries indeed steepen in larger species, possibly due to stronger sexual selection, this conservation of relative trait size suggests that chelicera length is subject to other stabilizing selective pressures. Changes to species body plans might be constrained, while still allowing for disproportionate investment in weapon traits in the upper range of intraspecific body sizes.

When examining material of Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 four new genera were identified as new to science, all belonging to the subfamily Heteropodinae Thorell, 1873. Three new genera from Malaysia and Brunei, and one new genus from Papua New Guinea are described in this paper: Borniella gen. nov. with its type species Borniella parva spec. nov. from Malaysia: Sarawak and Brunei (male, female); Menarik gen. nov. with its type species Menarik kecil spec. nov. from Malaysia: Sarawak (male, female); Micropoda gen. nov. with its type species Micropoda daviesae spec. nov. from Papua New Guinea: New Britain (male, female); Tiomaniella gen. nov. with its type species Tiomaniella ladam spec. nov. from Malaysia: Tioman Island (male, female). All are diagnosed by their copulatory organs, which partly exhibit extraordinary character states. Most females of Menarik kecil spec. nov. exhibited scars at their epigynes that might be connected to the special apophyses in the male palp.