Search

The spider genus Cybaeodes Simon, 1878 is found in the Western Mediterranean region. It belongs to the family Liocranidae, but its exact phylogenetic position has been debated due to its unique morphological features. Here we present the first records of the species Cybaeodes mallorcensis Wunderlich, 2008 outside of the Balearic Islands, specifically in the Iberian Peninsula, and speculate on the possible causes of this disjunct distribution. Additionally, we publish the first genetic data for the genus Cybaeodes and use them to interrogate about the phylogenetic position of this remarkable genus within the spider tree of life. The moderate genetic differentiation found among some of the individuals sampled in the Iberian Peninsula suggests that these may be native populations, and not the result of introductions from the Balearic Islands. However, sequencing specimens from the islands would help shed some light on their origin. Finally, the phylogenetic tree containing the new genetic data of Cybaeodes renders Liocranidae paraphyletic, the genus Cybaeodes being more closely related to the family Cithaeronidae and two liocranid genera, albeit with low supports. Our results highlight the need for a more comprehensive phylogeny to determine the placement of this obscure genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of their ability for aerial dispersal using silk and preference for open habitats, many wolf spiders are formidable colonisers. Pioneering arachnologists were already aware of the large and colourful wolf spiders in the Madeira archipelago, currently included in the genus Hogna Simon, 1885. The origins were investigated and species boundaries of Madeiran Hogna examined by integrating target-gene and morphological information. A multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of a thorough sampling across wolf-spider diversity suggested a single origin of Madeiran endemics, albeit with low support. Divergence time estimation traced back their origin to the late Miocene, a time of major global cooling that drove the expansion of grasslands and the associated fauna. Morphological examination of types and newly collected material revealed a new species, hereby described as H. isambertoi Crespo, sp. nov. Additionally, H. blackwalli is revalidated and three new synonymies are proposed, namely H. biscoitoi Wunderlich, 1992, junior synonym of H. insularum Kulczynski, 1899, H. schmitzi Wunderlich, 1992, junior synonym of H. maderiana (Walckenaer, 1837), and Arctosa maderana Roewer, 1960 junior synonym of H. ferox (Lucas, 1838). Species delimitation analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers provided additional support for morphological delineations. The species pair H. insularum and H. maderiana, however, constituted an exception: the lack of exclusive haplotypes in the examined markers, along with the discovery of intermediate forms, pointed to hybridisation between these two species as reported in other congeneric species on islands. Finally, the conservation status of the species is discussed and candidates for immediate conservation efforts are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysdera is a highly speciose genus of mid-sized, nocturnal hunting spiders, mostly circumscribed to the Mediterranean. The genus managed to colonize all Macaronesian archipelagos, and underwent major diversification in the Canary Islands. Here, we report on an independent diversification event on the Madeira archipelago. Based on the integration of morphological and molecular evidence, we describe 8 new species to science, Dysdera dissimilis sp. nov. , Dysdera exigua sp. nov. , Dysdera isambertoi sp. nov. , Dysdera precaria sp. nov. , Dysdera recondita sp. nov. , Dysdera sandrae sp. nov. , Dysdera teixeirai sp. nov. , Dysdera titanica sp. nov. and redescribe Dysdera coiffaiti , Dysdera diversa and Dysdera portisancti. We synonymize Dysdera longibulbis and Dysdera vandeli under D. coiffaiti and D. diversa , respectively. Additionally, we use a multilocus target gene phylogeny to support a single colonization event of the archipelago followed by in situ diversification. We further discuss the discovered diversity patterns and their drivers. We conclude to that many of the species inhabit disturbed or fragile habitats and should be considered of high conservation concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The main aims were to determine: (a) the relative contribution of species replacement and richness difference from components to overall taxonomic (TDβ) and functional (FDβ) beta diversity of spider communities; (b) the degree to which TDβ and FDβ components can be explained by the environmental or geographic predictors; (c) whether FDβ components were lower than expected given the underlying TDβ variation. Location: This study was carried out in 22 oak forest sites across the Iberian Peninsula. The area comprises two biogeographic regions, Eurosiberian (North) and Mediterranean (Centre and South). Methods: Spiders were sampled using a standardized protocol. A species x traits matrix was constructed. Total taxonomic (TDβtotal) and total functional (FDβtotal) beta diversity were calculated, by pairwise comparisons, and partitioned into their replacement (βrepl) and richness difference (βrich) components. Mantel tests were used to relate taxonomic and functional dissimilarity with environmental and geographic distances. A spatial eigenfunction model was constructed and the variation in TDβ and FDβ explained by environment and geographic predictors was quantified. Null models were used to test if FDβ was higher or lower than expected given TDβ. Results: βrepl was the dominant component contributing to 84.2% and 72.8% for TDβtotal and FDβtotal, respectively. TDβtotal and FDβtotal (and their replacement components) were higher between‐ than within‐biogeographic regions. TDβtotal and TDβrepl were positively correlated with environmental and geographic distances, even when controlling for a biogeographic effect, but their functional counterparts were only correlated with environmental distance. Variation partitioning showed that pure environmental and spatially structured environmental effects had a small contribution to beta diversity, except for TDβrich. The observed slopes of the regressions of FDβtotal and FDβrepl in relation to environmental distance were slower than the null model expectations. Main Conclusions: Spider assemblage variation was mainly determined by the replacement, and not the net loss, of species and traits. TDβ was influenced by niche filtering and dispersal limitation, whereas FDβ was mainly generated by niche filtering. A high level of functional convergence among spider communities, despite the high taxonomic divergence, revealed the signal of replacement of species performing similar functions across sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A large scale semi-quantitative biodiversity assessment was conducted in white oak woodlands in areas included in the Spanish Network of National Parks, as part of a project aimed at revealing biogeographic patterns and identify biodiversity drivers. The semiquantitative COBRA sampling protocol was conducted in sixteen 1-ha plots across six national parks using a nested design. All adult specimens were identified to species level based on morphology. Uncertain delimitations and identifications due to either limited information of diagnostic characters or conflicting taxonomy were further investigated using DNA barcode information. New information We identified 376 species belonging to 190 genera in 39 families, from the 8,521 adults found amongst the 20,539 collected specimens. Faunistic results include the discovery of 7 new species to the Iberian Peninsula, 3 new species to Spain and 11 putative new species to science. As largely expected by environmental features, the southern parks showed a higher proportion of Iberian and Mediterranean species than the northern parks, where the Palearctic elements were largely dominant. The analysis of approximately 3,200 DNA barcodes generated in the present study, corroborated and provided finer resolution to the morphologically based delimitation and identification of specimens in some taxonomically challenging families. Specifically, molecular data confirmed putative new species with diagnosable morphology, identified overlooked lineages that may constitute new species, confirmed assignment of specimens of unknown sexes to species and identified cases of misidentifications and phenotypic polymorphisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The North Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Selvagens present a unique biological diversity including, presently, 56 endemic spider species. Several recent projects provide valuable information on their distribution across most islands and habitats. To date, the only endemic spider assessed according to the IUCN Red List criteria is Hogna ingens. The objective of this paper is to assess all remaining endemic species and advise on possible future conservation actions critical for the survival of endangered species. New information Seven species were found to have a continuing decline in either range or population size. Their decline can be mostly attributed to habitat destruction or degradation, invasive plant species that reduce quality of habitat, forest fires at high mountain regions and possible competition for resources from invasive congeners. The tetragnathid M. barreti is considered as possibly extinct due to the suspected impact of a competing species. Although most endemic spiders from the Madeira and Selvagens archipelagos have relatively low extinction risk due to the good condition and protection of the laurisilva forests where many live, there are a number of species requiring urgent attention and protection measures. These include all cave and mountain-restricted species as well as those threatened by competing congeners or invasive plants. Extending current protected areas, restoring original habitats of threatened species and the control of invasive taxa should remain a priority for species survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. 1. The Iberian Peninsula is one of the most relevant areas in terms of species richness, rarity and endemism in the Mediterranean Basin. Using spiders as a model, we studied the relative importance of environmental and non-environmental spatial variation along a gradient of mediterraneity on the western coast of the Iberian Peninsula. 2. We performed a spatially explicit analysis to evaluate the contribution of pure environmental and pure spatial effects and their shared influence on spider species richness by variation partitioning and principal coordinates of neighbour matrices (PCNM). We dissect the spatial variation of species richness into additive scale-specific models through PCNM analysis and estimate the relative importance of environmental variables for each model. 3. Variation partitioning revealed that 72.8% of species richness variation could be explained by the environmental (climate and dune stability) and spatial variables. Most of this variation (51.3%) corresponds to the environmental spatially structured component. 4. The influence of environmental variables was scale-dependent. At the broadest scales, the latitudinal-climatic gradient was the dominant factor that influenced spider species richness variation. At the finest scale, stability of the dune system was the most important component. 5. In conclusion, spider species richness patterns were determined mostly by spatially structured environmental variation. More importantly, this study shows that different environmental factors act at multiple scales. Hence, our results reinforce the importance of the incorporation of both local and broad-scale factors when examining species richness patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Madeira island presents a unique spider diversity with a high number of endemic species, many of which are still poorly known. A recent biodiversity survey on the terrestrial arthropods of the native forest, Laurisilva, provided a large set of standardized samples from various patches throughout the island. Out of the fifty two species recorded, approximately 33.3% are Madeiran endemics, many of which had not been collected since their original description. Two new species to science are reported - Ceratinopsis n. sp. and Theridion n. sp. - and the first records of Poecilonetavariegata (Blackwall, 1841) and Tetragnathaintermedia Kulczynski, 1891 are reported for the first time for Madeira island. Considerations on species richness and abundance from different Laurisilva locations are presented, together with distribution maps for endemic species. These results contribute to a better understanding of spider diversity patterns and endemic species distribution in the native forest of Madeira island.