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Bu çalışmada, farklı lokaliteler dikkate alınarak Nevşehir ilinden toplanan Gnaphosidae familyasına ait Drassodes lacertosus türünün karyolojik özellikleri ilk kez araştırılmıştır. Kromozom preparatlarının elde edilmesinde, Pekâr ve Krâl (2001) yöntemine göre klâsik giemsa boyama protokolü uygulanmıştır. Türün diploid kromozom sayısı 2n=22♂ ve eşey kromozom sistemi X1X20’dır. Otozomların ve eşey kromozomların morfolojisi telosentrik tipte bulunmuştur. Otozomal kromozomların relatif uzunlukları % 9,46- % 6,90 arasında kademeli olarak bir azalış gösterirken; eşey kromozomlarının relatif uzunlukları X1=% 10,76 ve X2=% 6,67 olarak tespit edilmiştir. Karyotipte X1’in en büyük kromozom olduğu, X2’nin ise en küçük kromozom olduğu belirlenmiştir. Mayoz bölünmenin profaz 1 ve metafaz 1 evresinde eşey kromozomları pozitif heteropiknotik özellik gösterirken; mayoz bölünmeye ait diğer evrelerde ise izopiknotik özellik göstermektedir. Mayoz bölünmeye ait evrelerin değerlendirilmesiyle birlikte D. lacertosus türünün kiyazmatik mayoz özelliği taşıdığı saptanmıştır. Sonuç olarak günümüze kadar elde edilen sitogenetik çalışmalarla birlikte; bu çalışmada, Drassodes lacertosus’a ait elde edilen ilk karyolojik bulgular, Drassodes cinsi için yeni veriler sunmakta ve Gnaphosidae familyasına ait türlerin sitogenetiğine katkılar sağlamaktadır. In this study, karyological characteristics of Drassodes lacertosus belong to Gnaphosidae family collected from Nevsehir province take into account different localites were investigated for the first time. In order to obtain chromosome preparations, classical giemsa staining protocol was applied accourding to the method of Pekâr and Krâl (2001). The diploid chromosome number of the species is 2n=22♂ and the sex chromosome system is X1X20. Morphology of autosomes and sex chromosomes was found to be of telocentric type. While the relative length of autosomal chromosomes gradually decreased between % 9,46 and % 6,90; the relative lengths of sex chromosomes were determined as X1= % 10,76 and X2=% 6,67. It was determined in the karyotype that X1 is the largest chromosome and X2 is the smallest chromosome. In the prophase 1 and metaphase 1 stage of the meiotic division, the sex chromosomes show positive heteropicnotic features; in other phases meiosis, it shows isopicnotic properties. With the evaluation of the phases of meiosis division, D. lacertosus species has been determined a chiasmatic meiosis. As a result, with the cytogenetic studies obtained to date; in this study, these first karyological finding of Drassodes lacertosus will provide new data about the Drassodes genus and contribute to the cytogenetics of the species belonging to the Gnaphosidae family.

Generalist predators have evolved a variety of behavioural adaptations in prey capture to effectively subdue different prey types. Such predators use a conditional hunting strategy. Among spiders, representatives of Gnaphosidae are known to use either venom attack (subduing prey with venom) or silk attack (subduing prey with silk). In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis of the conditional use of prey capture strategy (venom versus silk attack) in two species, Drassodes sp. and Zelotes sp. We also measured the size of their venom glands and the number of their piriform glands in order to reveal whether behavioural adaptations are paralleled with morphological ones. As prey, we used other spiders of variable sizes as these are considered dangerous prey. We found that Drassodes used mainly silk attack, while the majority of Zelotes used venom attack. The probability of using silk attack increased with predator/prey body length ratio in Drassodes, but not in Zelotes. Then, we disabled silk use in individuals of both species. All disabled Drassodes used venom attack, but about half of individuals attempted to use silk attack first. All Zelotes used venom attack, and none attempted to use silk attack first. We found significantly larger venom glands in Drassodes than in Zelotes, while the number of piriform silk glands was similar. The behavioural adaptations are, thus, not paralleled with morphological (i.e., venom and silk gland size) ones. Our results suggest that both Drassodes and Zelotes can use both attack strategies with similar efficacy.

In the course of an extensive sampling of ground spiders in mainland Greece, six new species, namely, Civizelotes akmon n.sp., Drassyllus centrohellenicus n.sp., Drassyllus covid n.sp., Drassyllus dadianus n.sp., Phaeocedus similaris n.sp., and Zeloteshistio n.sp., all belonging to the family Gnaphosidae Banks, 1892, were identified and are described. Furthermore, taxonomic comments on Civizelotes gracilis (Canestrini, 1868) and its relationship with C. pygmaeus (Miller, 1943), Drassyllus dadia Komnenov & Chatzaki, 2016, as well as on Zelotes olympi (Kulczyński, 1903) and its relationship with Z. talpinus (L. Koch, 1872) are provided. Drassodes omalosis Roewer, 1928 is removed from the synonymy of D. unicolor (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) and the species is revalidated.

Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) Figs 38–43 Drassus luridus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874: 396, plate 52, fig. 21 (♂ ♀). Scopodes maitraiae Tikader & Gajbe, 1977: 14, fig. 1A–E (♂ ♀). Drassodes luridus Tikader, 1982: 409, figs 260–263 (♂ ♀) (for complete list of references, see World Spider Catalog (2021)). Megamyrmecion kajalae Biswas & Biswas, 1992: 430, figs 39–41 (♀) (lapsus). New synonymy Type material of M. kajalae. Holotype ♀ from INDIA: West Bengal: North 24 Parganas: Palta: Santi Nagar (22°46’57.51’’N, 88°22’50.46’’E), 12 m alt., Bijan Biswas leg., 11.VIII.1987, NZC-ZSI, Kolkata (5408/18), examined. Paratype 1 ♀, same data as holotype except 5409/18, examined. Justification of the transfer and synonymy. This species possesses diagnostic features of Drassodes: trochanters notched, epigyne with curved lateral margins and vulva consists of primary and secondary spermathecae (compare Figs 40–42 with Platnick & Shadab 1976: figs 31–32, 35–36). Study of the types of M. kajalae revealed that it well fits to the diagnostic characters of D. luridus: inverted pyriform epigynal plate with antero-laterally thickened rims and small, sclerotised, horizontally oriented primary spermathecae with large, hyaline, inflated balloon-like secondary spermathecae (compare Figs 40–42 with Tikader 1982: figs 261–262 and Caleb et al. 2014: fig. 1e–f). Based on these observations, we propose to consider M. kajalae as a junior synonym of D. luridus. Remarks. The ZSI collection has two glass tubes with ‘ M. kajalae ’. There is a common label for both these tubes that mentions as ‘ holotype and paratype’ with registration numbers ‘5408/18’ and ‘5409/18’ respectively. A tube contains one female specimen in good condition. The same tube has a micro-vial containing the dissected epigyne. The other tube contains one female specimen in good condition, with intact epigyne., Published as part of Sankaran, Pradeep M. & Caleb, John T. D., 2021, On the taxonomic validity of Indian ground spiders: V. Genera Megamyrmaekion Reuss, 1834, Sosticus Chamberlin, 1922 and Gaviphosa gen. nov. (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), pp. 539-564 in Zootaxa 5040 (4) on page 548, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5040.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/5531757, {"references":["Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1874) On some new species of Drassides. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 42, 370 - 419, pls. LI - LII. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1096 - 3642.1874. tb 02495. x","Tikader, B. K. & Gajbe, U. A. (1977) Studies on some spiders of the genera Scopodes Chamberlin, Megamyrmecion Reuss, Scotophaeus Simon and Liodrassus Chamberlin (family: Gnaphosidae) from India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, 73, 13 - 22.","Tikader, B. K. (1982). Part 2. Family Gnaphosidae. In: The fauna of India. Spiders: Araneae. Vol. II. Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta, pp. 295 - 536.","World Spider Catalog (2021) World Spider Catalog. Version 22.5. Natural History Museum Bern. Available from: http: // wsc. nmbe. ch (accessed 12 August 2021) https: // doi. org / 10.24436 / 2","Biswas, B. & Biswas, K. (1992) Araneae: Spiders. State Fauna Series, 3, Fauna of West Bengal 3, 357 - 500.","Platnick, N. I. & Shadab, M. U. (1976) A revision of the spider genera Drassodes and Tivodrassus (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) in North America. American Museum Novitates, 2593, 1 - 29.","Caleb, J. T. D., Karthikeyani, R. & Muthuchelian, K. (2014) Description of Drassodes luridus O. P. Cambridge (Araneae: Gnaphosidae): First record from Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 2, 135 - 138."]}

Indian Megamyrmaekion and Sosticus species are revised, mostly based on the type material available in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. The following new synonymies are recognised: Megamyrmaekion ashae syn. nov. is synonymised with Megamyrmaekion caudatum Reuss, 1834, Megamyrmaekion kajalae syn. nov. with Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874), Sosticus jabalpurensis syn. nov. and Sosticus sundargarhensis syn. nov., both with the liocranid species Sphingius barkudensis Gravely, 1931 and Sosticus poonaensis syn. nov. with the liocranid species Sphingius caniceps Simon, 1906. The following new combinations are recognised: Poecilochroa jodhpurense (Gajbe, 1993) comb. nov., ex. Megamyrmaekion, Urozelotes pawani (Gajbe, 1993) comb. nov., Sphingius dherikanalensis (Gajbe, 1979) comb. nov., Sphingius nainitalensis (Gajbe, 1979) comb. nov. and Sphingius solanensis (Gajbe, 1979) comb. nov., all ex. Sosticus. All the examined type material are imaged and supplementary descriptions for P. jodhpurense comb. nov. and U. pawani comb. nov. are provided. A new monotypic genus, Gaviphosa Sankaran, 2021 gen. nov. for Gaviphosa kera Sankaran, 2021 gen. et sp. nov., featured by dorsal tibial apophysis is described and illustrated in detail from the southern Western Ghats of India.

This study is a part of an ongoing comprehensive inventory of Bulgarian spiders. A total of fifty spider species belonging to thirteen families are reported for the first time from Bulgaria. Four species are rejected from the Bulgarian spider checklist due to misidentification: Callilepis concolor Simon, 1914, Centromerus capucinus (Simon, 1884), Hoplopholcus labyrinthi (Kulczyński, 1903) and Mansuphantes prope fragilis (Thorell, 1875). Another four species (Drassodes villosus (Thorell, 1856), Entelecara flavipes (Blackwall, 1834), Lepthyphantes notabilis Kulczyński, 1887 and Singa semiatra L. Koch, 1867) are rejected after a new interpretation of the locations. Six species were omitted from the list of Bulgarian spiders as obviously doubtful records (Dysdera nicaeensis Thorell, 1873, Haplodrassus rufipes (Lucas, 1846), Harpactea hispana (Simon, 1882), Macaroeris cata (Blackwall, 1867), Nomisia celerrima (Simon, 1914) and Tenuiphantes monachus (Simon, 1884)). A new synonymy is proposed for Cyclosa strandjae Drensky, 1915 (= Cyclosa sierrae Simon, 1870 syn. nov.). In addition, new images with essential taxonomic value are provided for twenty-five species to facilitate their identification or to illustrate their intraspecific variability. To ensure correct identification, DNA barcoding was additionally used in some species.

Drassodes persianus sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8A053277-FFE1-4212-B591-51C370E1DCE6 Fig. 8A–F Diagnosis The epigyne of the new species is most similar to that of D. longispinus Marusik & Logunov, 1995 (Fig. 8G–H) but can be distinguished by the rounded posterior margin of the median plate being slightly extended beyond the epigastric furrow (vs straight, not extended), the relatively long atrium (width/length ratio as shown by broken lines ca 1.4 vs 2) and the lateral margins (Lm) S-shaped with lateral indentations (vs almost parallel). Etymology The specific epithet is an adjective and refers to the historical region of the Middle East, located in eastern Mesopotamia, which is now Iran. Type material Holotype IRAN • ♀; Sistan & Baluchistan Province, Khash, surroundings of Taftan volcano; 28°36′ N, 61°07′ E; May 2018; A. Zamani leg.; MHNG. Other material examined IRAN • 1 ♀ (epigyne only, body lost); Kermanshah Province, Zarrin Joob Vil.; Apr. 2017; M. Amiri leg.; PSU. Comparative material examined Drassodes longispinus Marusik & Logunov, 1995 RUSSIA • 1 ♀; Orenburg Area, Belyaevka Distr., ‘ Burtinskaya Steppe’ division of Orenburg Reserve; 51°22′ N, 55°59′ E; Aug. 2016; V.A. Nemkov leg.; PSU-8263. Description Female (holotype) Habitus as in Fig. 8A. Total length 9.65. Carapace 3.83 long, 3.10 wide. Eye sizes and interdistances of AMEs and PMEs: AME = 0.19, ALE = 0.17, PME = 0.16, PLE = 0.17, AME–AME = 0.13, PME–PME = 0.16. Carapace brown, darker in pars cephalica. Chelicerae, maxillae and labium dark reddish brown. Chelicera (Fig. 8B) with 3 retromarginal teeth. Sternum light yellowish brown, darker in the margins. Legs light yellowish brown and without annulations.Abdomen dark gray, without any pattern. Spinnerets light gray. Measurements of legs: I: 10.80 (3.10, 1.48, 2.55, 2.22, 1.45), II: 10.83 (2.91, 1.65, 2.44, 2.27, 1.56), III: 9.76 (2.75, 1.16, 2.16, 2.17, 1.52), IV: 13.31 (3.45, 1.56, 3.00, 3.70, 1.60). Epigyne as in Fig. 8C–F. Atrium 1.4 times as wide as long, lateral margins inclined mesally, S-shaped with lateral indentations, posterior margin rounded, slightly extended beyond epigastric furrow; mesal receptacles ca 1.2 times wider than lateral ones. Male Unknown. Distribution Known only from the type locality in Sistan & Baluchistan Province, southeastern Iran, and another locality in Kermanshah Province, western Iran.

The following eight new synonyms are proposed: Araneus arganicola Simon, 1909 = Neoscona subfusca (C. L. Koch, 1837) syn. doi: 10.30963/aramit6109 nov.; Drassus nugatoriusKarsch, 1881 = Odontodrassus mundulus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1881) syn. nov.; Drassus sockniensisKarsch, 1881 = Poecilochroa pugnax (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) syn. nov.; Drassus tarrhunensisKarsch, 1881 = Megamyrmaekion caudatumReuss, 1834syn. nov.; Prosthesima kerimiPavesi, 1880 = Zelotes tragicus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) syn. nov.; Prosthesima quadridentataStrand, 1906 = Scotophaeus quadridentatusCaporiacco, 1928 = Setaphis mollis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) syn. nov.; Steatoda erigoniformis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) = Euryopis albomaculataDenis, 1951syn. nov. The position of Drassus obscurusLucas, 1846 in Drassodes is confirmed and the first figures of the female epigyne and vulva are given. The citation of Dactylopisthes digiticeps (Simon, 1881) from Tunisia by Pavesi (1884) is a misidentification and concerns Thaumatoncus indicatorSimon, 1884. A new species is described: Pelecopsis pavesiispec. nov. from Tunisia, erroneously identified by Pavesi (1884) as Pelecopsis parumpunctata (Simon, 1881).

In this study, we describe a chromosomal analysis of Drassodes bifidus and Drassodes serratichelis using a classical Giemsa staining method. We collected specimens from different populations in Nevşehir and used totally fourteen male spiders. The two Drassodes species had karyotypes comprising 10 pairs of autosomes plus sex chromosomes which were X1X20 (♂) type. All chromosomes including sex chromosomes were telocentric and relative lengths of autosomal pairs were decreased gradually in size. All male meiosis was chiasmate and during the first meiotic division stages, 10 autosomal bivalents and generally one chiasma per bivalent (rarely two chiasmata) were obtained, the types of chiasmata were proximal, interstitial and terminal. In second meiotic division, two types of nuclei were showed as n=12 and n=10 chromosomes. Considering our results and previously obtained data in other ground spider species, the conventional staining provide important chromosome markers for karyotype evolution in gnaphosids and chromosome structure studies.

Indian Scopoides species have been revised. Three new combinations are proposed: Poecilochroa kuljitae (Tikader, 1982) comb. nov., Megamyrmaekion pritiae (Tikader, 1982) comb. nov. and Megamyrmaekion tikaderi (Gajbe, 1987) comb. nov.. Scopoides maitraiae (Tikader & Gajbe, 1977) and Scopoides samarae Gawande & Bodkhe, 2018 are synonymized with Drassodes luridus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874). All the examined type materials are imaged and supplementary descriptions for P. kuljitae comb. nov., M. pritiae comb. nov. and M. tikaderi comb. nov. are provided.

Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) Material examined. Site 2: 1♂; Site 11: 1♀; Site 15: 1♀; Site 17: 1♀; Site 27: 1♀; Site 29: 1♀. Distribution. Europe, Turkey, Israel, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan., Published as part of Chatzaki, Maria & Keer, Johan Van, 2019, Ground spiders (Araneae: Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae, Prodidomidae) from the Greek islands Rodos, Symi and Karpathos, with the description of new species, pp. 434-460 in Zootaxa 4646 (3) on page 436, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4646.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/3351022

New taxonomic data on the ground spiders of the families Gnaphosidae, Liocranidae and Prodidomidae from the Greek islands Rodos and Symi are presented resulting from extensive field work conducted in 2006. Additional material from Karpathos is also included. In total, 48 species are recorded, and five new species (Drassodes mylonasi Chatzaki sp.n., Echemus kaltsasi Chatzaki sp.n., Minosiella apolakia Chatzaki sp.n., Phaeocedus vankeeri Chatzaki sp.n., and Turkozelotes attavirus Chatzaki sp.n.) are proposed. Although the Gnaphosidae of Cyprus are not the focus of the present paper, the unknown female of Echemus levyi Kovblyuk, 2009 found in Cyprus, is also described here for comparative purposes. Leptodrassex memorialis (Spassky, 1940) is justifiably transferred to the genus Leptopilos Levy, 2009 and it is therefore regarded as Leptopilos memorialis comb.nov. The male of Zelotes daidalus Chatzaki, 2003 and the female of Z. minous Chatzaki, 2003 are newly matched and Z. daidalus is further synonymised with Z. shaked Levy, 1998.The new matching of Z. minous males with Z. daidalus females is justified. Two species are new records for Greece: Zelotes limnatis Chatzaki & Russell-Smith, 2017 and Agraecina scupiensis Deltshev, 2016.

Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) MATERIAL. ��� Ubaye river, dry riverbed with pebbles, 1146 m, 30. VI.2017, Isaia, Mammola & Milano leg., 1 ♀, coll. MI; La Salce, xeric grasslands, 1535 m, 01.VII.2017, Isaia, Mammola & Milano leg., 3♀, MNHN; Salce basse, grass with low vegetation, 1225 m, 01.VII.2017, Isaia, Mammola & Milano leg., 3 ♀, coll. MI; Salce basse, xeric grasslands, 1255 m, 01.VII.2017, Isaia, Mammola & Milano leg., 1 ♀, coll. MI; Les Allemands, ruderal areas, 1455 m, 01.VII.2017, Rollard leg., 1 ♀, MNHN; La Gravette, grasslands, 1130 m, 03.VII.2017, Isaia, Mammola & Milano leg., 1 ♀, coll. MI. CHOROTYPE. ��� PAL. MACROHABITAT. ��� Riparian habitats, alpine grasslands, shrublands, ruderal areas., Published as part of Milano, Filippo, Mammola, Stefano, Rollard, Christine, Leccia, Marie-France & Isaia, Marco, 2019, An inventory of the spider species of Barcelonnette (France), with taxonomic notes on Piniphantes agnellus n. comb. (Araneae, Linyphiidae), pp. 29-58 in Zoosystema 41 (4) on page 36, DOI: 10.5252/zoosystema2019v41a4, http://zenodo.org/record/3718482

The Haplodrassus species of the the Maghreb are revised. Six new species are described: H. dentifer Bosmans & Abrous, sp. n. (♂♀, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain), H. longivulva Bosmans & Hervé, sp. n. (♂♀, Algeria, Morocco), H. lyndae Abrous & Bosmans, sp. n. (♂♀, Algeria, Morocco, Spain), H. ovatus Bosmans & Hervé, sp. n. (Tunisia, Algeria), H. securifer Bosmans & Abrous, sp. n. (♂♀, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium) and H. triangularis Bosmans, sp. n. (♂♀, Morocco, Tunisia). The following new synonyms are proposed. Drassus corticalis Lucas, 1846, syn. n. and Drassus similis C.L. Koch, 1866, syn. n. were found to be junior synonyms of Drassus rufipes Lucas, 1846. Drassus parvulus L. Koch 1882, Drassodes acrotirius Roewer, 1928, Drassodes seditiosus Caporiacco, 1928, Drassodes parvicorpus Roewer, 1951 and Haplodrassus maroccanus Denis, 1956 are junior synonyms of Drassus omissus O.P.-Cambridge, 1872 syn. n. and this species is transferred to Haplodrassus comb. n. (taken out of the synonymy with H. morosus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872, contra Levy, 2004). Drassodes nigroscriptus deminutus Simon, 1909 and Drassodes nigroscriptus Simon, 1909 are synonyms and the species is transferred to Haplodrassus comb. n. Haplodrassus isaevi Ponomarev & Tsvetkov, 2006 is a junior synonym of Haplodrassus orientalis (L. Koch), 1866 syn. n. comb. n. H. macellinus hebes (O.P.- Cambridge, 1874) is a synonym of Haplodrassus macellinus (Thorell, 1871) syn. n. Haplodrassus vignai Di Franco, 1996 is a synonym of H. macellinus (Thorell, 1871) (taken out of the synonymy of H. invalidus O.P.-Cambridge, 1872, contra Levy, 2004). H. gridellii Caporiacco, 1949 is taken out of the synonymy with H. pugnans (Simon, 1880) and synonymized with H. rufipes (Lucas, 1846) syn. n. (contra Levy, 2004). The following new combinations are proposed. Drassodes rhodanicus Simon, 1914 = Haplodrassus rhodanicus (Simon, 1914), comb. n. Drassus crassipes Lucas, 1846 = Haplodrassus crassipes (Lucas, 1846) comb. n. The following new status is proposed: Haplodrassus typhon (Simon, 1878) is removed from the synonymy of H. macellinus Thorel, 1871, is declared a valid species, a female lectotype is designated and the unknown male is described. Drassodes severus L. Koch, 1839 and Drassodes spinicrus Caporiacco, 1928 are declared nomina dubia. The female of H. rhodanicus is described for the first time, and the male illustrated for the first time. All Haplodrassus species occurring in the Maghreb are redescribed as well as Haplodrassus macellinus (Thorell, 1871), only occurring in S.W. Europe and deleted from the North African list. New distribution data and photos of other European Haplodrassus species are presented.

Drassodes villosus (Thorell, 1856) МатериаΛ. 1♂, корΑон «СаΑ», степь, 27.06.2014; 1♂, Наурзумский бор, 17.07.2014., Published as part of Ponomarev, A. V., Bragina, T. M. & Shmatko, V. Yu., 2017, New data on spiders (Aranei) of the Naurzum State Natural Reserve (Kostanay Region, Kazakhstan), pp. 3-10 in Caucasian Entomological Bulletin 13 (1) on page 5, DOI: 10.23885/1814-3326-2017-13-1-3-10, http://zenodo.org/record/8145545

In this paper, we present the results of a small collection of spiders from north-eastern Iran. One genus (Sosticus Chamberlin 1922) and four species, namely Drassodes chybyndensis Esyunin and Tuneva 2002, Sosticus loricatus (L. Koch 1866), Micaria ignea O. Pickard-Cambridge 1872 and Synema cf. plorator (O. P.-Cambridge 1872), are new records to the fauna of Iran, which are provided with illustrations.

The results of study of the spiders fauna of Daghestan on 2011 were summed up at most in the work. The annotated lost of species was cited according to the world catalogue of Norman Platnik [1]. By the present time the composition of species of studied district includes 311 species, from which 59 species are cited as new for Daghestan, and 2 species (Drassodes arc-hibensis Ponomarev & Alieva, 2008, Drassodes dagestanus Ponomarev & Alieva, 2008) are described as new for science. The indicated specimen earlier as sp. are identified to species – the species Nurscia albosignata Simon, 1874, earlier was identified as Nurscia sp. [8], the species Clubiona alpicola Kulczynski, 1881, earlier was identified as Clubiona sp.[8], and the species Clubiona brevipes Blackwall, 1841, earlier was identified as Clubiona sp.[8]. The mistaken definition is corrected – the species Pirata hurkai Buchar, 1966, earlier identified as Pirata knorri (Scopoli, 1763).

Karyotypes and meiosis of five spider species belonging to the families Gnaphosidae, Miturgidae and Philodromidae were studied using standard Giemsa staining. The male diploid chromosome numbers (2n) and the sex chromosome systems were as follows: Drassodes lutescens: 2n = 21 (X0), Micaria albovittata: 2n = 22 (X1X20), Cheiracanthium mildei: 2n = 26 (X1X20), Cheiracanthium pennyi: 2n = 26 (X1X20) and Philodromus lividus: 2n = 28 (X1X20). Chromosomes of all specimens were telocentric. During the first meiotic division, 10, 10, 12, 12 and 13 autosomal bivalents, respectively, and two sex chromosomes were obtained, with the exception of Drassodes lutescens, which had a different type of sex chromosome system (♂X0/♀XX). During the second meiotic division, two types of nuclei were determined, with or without the sex chromosomes. These karyological data are useful for a better understanding of the chromosomal evolution of araneomorph spiders.

Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) Material examined. Site 1 (e: 1 ♂), Site 2 (e: 1 ♂; g: 3 ♂, 2 ♀), Site 3 (g: 1 ♂), Site 5 (a: 1 ♂), Site 6 (a: 3 ♂), Site 8 (a: 2 ♂), Site 10 (b: 1 ♀), Site 11 (a: 1 ♂), Site 12 (a: 1 ♂), Site 13 (a: 1 ♂). Distribution. Europe, Russia, Korea, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, SW-Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria (Komnenov, 2014). Chorotype. Palearctic., Published as part of Marjan Komnenov, Eva Pitta, Konstantina Zografou & Maria Chatzaki, 2016, Discovering the still unexplored arachnofauna of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli, NE Greece: a taxonomic review with description of new species, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4096 (1) on page 45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4096.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/263078

Drassodes lutescens (C. L. Koch, 1839) Material examined. Site 8 (a: 8 ♂; b: 1 ♀), Site 12 (a: 3 ♂, 1 ♀; b: 1 ♀), Site 13 (a: 2 ♂), Site 14 (b: 1 ♀). Distribution. Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Ukraine, central, eastern and southern part of European Russia, Croatia, Bulgaria, F. Y. Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Ethiopia (Komnenov, 2014). Chorotype. Mediterranean-Middle Asiatic., Published as part of Marjan Komnenov, Eva Pitta, Konstantina Zografou & Maria Chatzaki, 2016, Discovering the still unexplored arachnofauna of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli, NE Greece: a taxonomic review with description of new species, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4096 (1) on page 45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4096.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/263078

Drassodes pubescens (Thorell, 1856), Published as part of Marjan Komnenov, Eva Pitta, Konstantina Zografou & Maria Chatzaki, 2016, Discovering the still unexplored arachnofauna of the National Park of Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli, NE Greece: a taxonomic review with description of new species, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 4096 (1) on page 45, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4096.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/263078

doi: 10.5431/aramit4504 Abstract. A detailed morphological account of the male copulatory organs of three species of ground spiders, Sergiolus capulatus, Herpyllus propinquus and Callilepis pluto (Araneae, Gnaphosidae), is presented. The large sclerites (subtegulum, tegulum and embolus) appear to be homologous in all spiders. Sergiolus and Zelanda have a plesio - morphic palp organization. The increased complexity in the male bulb organization creates a locking mechanism that fixes the male palp position during intercourse in Callilepis, as well as in Encoptarthria, Trachyzelotes and Zelotes. The palp of Herpyllus, together with Anzacia, Drassodes and Intruda, demonstrates progressive modification of the male bulb.

Specialist true predators are expected to exhibit higher capture efficiencies for the capture of larger and dangerous prey than generalist predators due to their possession of specialized morphological and behavioral adaptations. We used an araneophagous spider (Lampona murina) and a generalist spider (Drassodes lapidosus) as phylogenetically related model species and investigated their realized and fundamental trophic niches and their efficacy with respect to prey capture and prey handling. The trophic niche of both species confirmed that Lampona had a narrow trophic niche with a predominance of spider prey (including conspecifics), while the niche of Drassodes was wide, without any preference. DNA analysis of the gut contents of Lampona spiders collected in the field revealed that spiders form a significant part of its natural diet. Lampona captured significantly larger prey than itself and the prey captured by Drassodes. As concerns hunting strategy, Lampona grasped the prey with two pairs of legs possessing scopulae, whereas Drassodes immobilized prey with silk. Lampona possess forelegs equipped with scopulae and a thicker cuticle similar to other nonrelated araneophagous spiders. Lampona fed for a longer time and extracted more nutrients than Drassodes. We show that specialized behavioral and morphological adaptations altogether increase the hunting efficiency of specialists when compared to generalists.

Drassodes villosus (Thorell, 1856) LITERATURE. — Calloni 1889; [Isaia 2005]; De Angelis & Fantoni 2008; [Rossi & Bosio 2012]. CHOROTYPE. — PAL. MACROHABITAT. — Not specified., Published as part of Paschetta, Mauro, Christille, Claretta, Marguerettaz, Fabio & Isaia, Marco, 2016, Regional catalogue of the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of Aosta Valley (NW Italy), pp. 49-125 in Zoosystema 38 (1) on page 65, DOI: 10.5252/z2016n1a3, http://zenodo.org/record/4578074, {"references":["CALLONI S. 1889. - La fauna nivale con particolare riferimento ai viventi delle Alte Alpi, Pavia, 478 p. (estratto: 132 - 275).","ISAIA M. 2005. - Check list of spiders (Arachnids, Araneae) of Aosta Valley (Italy) with a new record for Italian fauna. Revue valdotaine d'Histoire naturelle 59: 25 - 43.","ROSSI G. & BOSIO F. 2012. - Elenco delle specie di ragni (Arachnida, Araneae) note per la Valle d ' Aosta. Revue valdotaine d'Histoire naturelle 66: 45 - 88."]}

Detailed morphologies of the male copulatory organs of the Australian genera Anzacia, Intruda, Encoptarthria and Zelanda and the Holarctic genus Drassodes are presented. The homology of several palpal elements within the family Gnaphosidae is established. The possible homology of these structures with those in other spider families is discussed. The ground plan of the gnaphosoid genital bulb is compared with the bulb of other Entelegynae genera. Australasian spider genera have a peculiar organization of the male palpal organs. Thus, the Holarctic genus Drassodes was also analyzed for comparison. The analysis of the male copulatory organs is presented and its implication for classification of these groups is discussed. The taxonomic changes we make here are the transfer of four species from the genus Megamyrmaekion to genus Encoptarthria: E. echemophthalma (Simon 1908), E. penicillata (Simon 1908), E. perpusilla (Simon 1908), and E. vestigator (Simon 1908). One species is transferred from genus Echemus to genus Encoptarthria: E. grisea (L. Koch 1873). New synonymy established: Encoptarthria echemophthalmum (Simon 1908) 5 Encoptarthria serventyi Main 1954, syn. n.

Six species of the genus Trachelas from China are reviewed, with descriptions of two new species: Trachelas fanjingshan sp. nov. and T. fasciae sp. nov. Drassodes digitusiformis (Hu, 2001) is transferred to Trachelas, as a junior synonym of Trachelas alticolus Hu, 2001. Trachelas acuminus (Zhu et An, 1988), T. japonicus Bösenberg et Strand, 1906 and T. sinensis Chen, Peng et Zhao, 1995 are redescribed and illustrated. A key and a distribution map of Chinese Trachelas are provided.

The worldwide ground-spider genus Drassodes is among the most diverse in the family Gnaphosidae, but it currently includes many species which do not show characters typical of Drassodes sensu stricto. The species belonging to the hypocrita-group of Simon, recently transferred to the genus Drassodex, are revised and redescribed: Drassodex hispanus, D. heeri, D. hypocrita, D. fritillifer, D. cervinus and D. validior. Lectotypes are here designated for D. cervinus and D. validior. The subspecies D. hispanus lesserti is also included and elevated to species rank. Three new species are described, D. granja sp. nov. from Spain, D. drescoi sp. nov. and D. simoni sp. nov. from the western part of the Alps. Representatives of Drassodex mainly occur in mountain systems in western Europe.

Ninety-four species (Dysderidae 3, Uloboridae 1, Theridiidae 9, Linyphiidae 15, Tetragnathidae 1, Araneidae 1, Lycosidae 14, Pisauridae 1, Oxyopidae 2, Agelenidae 5, Hahnidae 1, Dictynidae 1, Titanoecidae 2, Liocranidae 4, Clubionidae 2, Zodariidae 3, Gnaphosidae 18, Philodromidae 3, Thomisidae 4, Salticidae 4) are established from 7 sites (80-200 m) in the Sandansko-Petrichka Valley, Southwestern Bulgaria 64 species are new for the spider fauna of Sandanski-Petrich valley and 6 of these are also new for Bulgaria. Taxonomic notes and illustrations for the species Drassodes lutescens (C. L. Koch, 1839), Haplodrassus minor (O. P.-Cambridge, 1879) and Zelotes tenuis (L. Koch, 1866) are presented. According to their current distribution the spiders are split into 23 zoogeographical chorotypes combined into 5 chorological complexes.

Spiders were studied near Dzhanybek Village in Western Kazakhstan Province, the Republic of Kazakhstan. The family Gnaphosidae is represented by 41 species. The female of Drassodes rostratus Esyunin et Tuneva, 2002 is described for the first time, the male palp and the female epigynum are illustrated in detail. D. rostratus is shown to be a valid species but not a junior synonym of Drassodes auritus Schenkel, 1963. The genitalia of Haplodrassus isaevi Ponomarev et Tsvetkov, 2006, a new species for Western Kazakhstan, are described and illustrated. The family Liocranidae is represented by three species. Agraecina lineata (Simon, 1878) is described as a new genus and a species of liocranids for the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Fomichev, A. A., Marusik, Y. M. (2015): First Description Of The Male Of Drassodes Kaszabi (Aranei, Gnaphosidae). Vestnik Zoologii 49 (2): 467-470, DOI: 10.1515/vzoo-2015-0055, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/vzoo-2015-0055

Drassodes pubescens (Thorell, 1856) NEW DATA. — Vernante: Palanfrè, Gias della Luia, Alpine pasture, 1600 m, 3.VII.2010, 2♂, 1♀, leg. B. Rizzioli. LITERATURE. — Isaia et al. (2007); Paschetta et al. (2013). CHOROTYPE. — PAL. MACROHABITAT. — Alpine pastures, rocky lands. Drassodes thaleri Hervé & Rollard, 2009 (Fig. 16) NEW DATA. — Valdieri: along the path to Monte Matto, Alpine scree, 2500-3088 m, 27.VI.2011, 1♀; southern slope of Monte Bourel, Vallone della Meris, Sant'Anna di Valdieri, Alpine prairies with rocky debris, 1500-2300 m, 1-31.VIII.2011 (pitfall traps), 2♀; surroundings of Lago Inferiore di Valscura, Alpine scree, 2300 m, 8.VII.2011, 1♂. CHOROTYPE. — ALSW. MACROHABITAT. — Alpine prairies, rocky lands. NOTES. — New record for Italy., Published as part of Isaia, Marco, Paschetta, Mauro & Chiarle, Alberto, 2015, Annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of the Site of Community Importance and Special Area of Conservation " Alpi Marittime " (NW Italy), pp. 57-114 in Zoosystema 37 (1) on page 95, DOI: 10.5252/z2015n1a4, http://zenodo.org/record/4577680, {"references":["ISAIA M., PANTINI P., BEIKES S. & BADINO G. 2007. - Catalogo ragionato dei ragni (Arachnida, Araneae) del Piemonte e della Lombardia. Memorie dell'Associazione Naturalistica Piemontese 9: 1 - 161.","PASCHETTA M., LA MORGIA V., MASANTE D., NEGRO M., ROLANDO A. & ISAIA M. 2013. - Grazing history influences biodiversity: a case study on ground-dwelling arachnids (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones) in the Natural Park of Alpi Marittime (NW Italy). Journal of Insect Conservation 17: 339 - 356.","HERVE C. & ROLLARD C. 2009. - Drassodes species from the Parc national du Mercantour (French Alps), with the description of a new species (Araneae: Gnaphosidae). Contributions to natural History 12: 627 - 642."]}

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine whether or not adult female wasps, Anoplius splendens (Dreisbach), can learn a chemical stimulus (host feces) associated with host microhabitats. In a two-choice, static-air olfactometer, wasps previously exposed to hosts only in association with one stimulus (filter paper conditioned with odors from feces of the host spider, Drassodes auriculoides Barrows) exhibited a greater tendency to visit exclusively, and spend more time in, chambers containing a source of that stimulus as compared to control wasps exposed to paper with no host odors. The capacity for learning olfactory cues based on previous encounters with hosts should enhance the ability of wasps to accurately identify microhabitats where suitable hosts are most likely to be located.

The Gnaphosidae of Israel are addressed in general and the genera Drassodes and Haplodrassus are reviewed in particular. With a great many synonyms and misidentifications cleared up, seven species of Drassodes and eight species of Haplodrassus are recognized. Detailed diagnostic illustrations and comments on the systematics, ecology, records, and the pertinent literature are provided for each species. The following new synonyms are defined: Drassodes chybyndensis Esyunin and Tuneva, 2001 = D. lacertosus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872); D. rehobothicus Strand, 1915, D. pseudomorosus Strand, 1915, and D. omalosis Roewer, 1928 = D. unicolor (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872); D. louisianus Roddy, 1957 = D. serratichelis (Roewer, 1928); D. maindroni Simon, 1897, D. persimilis Denis, 1937, and D. mazurae Esyunin and Tuneva, 2001 = D. lutescens (C.L. Koch, 1839); D. aegyptius O.P.-Cambridge, 1874 and D. cyrenaicus Caporiacco, 1933 = D. alexandrinus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1874); Haplodrassus gridellii Caporiacco, 1949 = H. pugnans (Simon,...

Although the genus Cladothela has been represented by only C. boninensis KISHIDA, 1928, it is confirmed that Drassodes oculinotatus BOSENBERG et STRAND, 1906 and Drassodes unciinsignitus BOSENBERG et STRAND, 1906 are also members of Cladothela. These three species are redescribed, and a new species, Cladothela parva, is described from Japan. Zelotes x-notatus (BOSENBERG et STRAND, 1906) is synonymized with Cladothela unciinsignita (BOSENBERG et STRAND, 1906).

The Thar Desert is the easternmost edge of the Sahara-Arabian Desert zone, covering approximately 280,000km2 and with the highest human population density of any desert worldwide. The Desert National Park (DNP; 25°47′N and 75°15′–70°45′E) encompasses about 3,162km2 in the Jaisalmer District and another 1,262km2 in the Banner District of Rajasthan. The area is situated in the extremely hot, arid region of very low rainfall of India, comprising mostly sandy plains. Despite the harsh environmental conditions, some parts of the DNP show vast expanses of grassland intermixed with shrubs and small trees. The present study was conducted in the Desert National Park, Jaisalmer and Banner districts, Rajasthan from 1994–1998. A thorough search was made for spiders in different types of vegetation, on sand dunes and in other habitat types. A total of 28 species belonging to 13 families and 21 genera were recorded for the park. Among these, five species—Lycosa madani, Uroctea indica, Drassodes parvidens, Zelotes desioi and Drassodes luridus—were new records for this area. The results of the present study show the high variety of spiders existing in the Desert National Park.

In this short report I deal with a new specific transfer and two new specific synonymies on the family Gnaphosidae from Japan.I wish to express my sincere thanks to Dr. M. Grasshoff, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt am Main, for loaning the type specimen of Drassodes rotundifoveatus.

Drassudes cupreus (Blackwall, 1834) sensu Ro�� berts, 1995* Material examined: 6♀♀. [14] Oblachnaya Mt., 1600���1750 m, 43��34'N 134��12'E, 3.08,1998; 2 ♀♀, [09] env. of Anisimovka Vill. 43��10'N 132��46'E, 24- 28.07.1998; 1♀, S Sikhote-Alin Mt. Range, Gorelaya Sopka Mt, 43��30'5"N 134��06'E, 1300-1470 m, 17- 20.06.1999, YS. COMMENTS. The first record in the province. All records o f D. lapidosus (W alckenaer, 1802) in the vast area from the Urals to Kamchatka seem to refer to this species. W hile widespread east of the Urals it has not been reported from the Maritime Province as well as from the other parts o f the southern Far East [cf. Mikhailov, 1997; Marusik e t al., 2000]., Published as part of Marusik, Yuri M. & Koponen, Seppo, 2000, New data on spiders (Aranei) from the Maritime Province, Russian Far East, pp. 55-68 in Arthropoda Selecta 9 (1) on page 59, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.822713, {"references":["Mikhailov K. G. 1997. Catalogue of the spiders of the territories of the former Soviet Union / / Sbornik trudov Zool. Muz. MGU. Vol. 37. 416 pp.","Marusik Yu. M., Logunov D. V, Koponen S. 2000. Spiders of Tuva, South Siberia. Magadan: IBPN FEB RAS. 252 pp."]}

89. Drassodes meghalayaensis Tikader & Gajbe 1977. Drassodes meghalayaensis Tikader & Gajbe, Rec. zool. Surv. India, 73 (1-4): 66. Diagnosis: Cephalothorax longer than wide. Eyes pearly white except anterior medians. Anterior and posterior row are procurved, medians slightly larger than the laterals and closer to the laterals than to each other. Chelicera moderately strong. Tibia and metatarsi without paired spines. Abdomen longer than wide, nearly elliptical. Distribution India Shillong, Meghalaya., Published as part of Biswas, B. & Majumder, S. C., 1995, Araneae Spider. - Zoological Survey of India, pp. 93-128 in State Fauna Series 4 Fauna of Meghalaya Part 2, Zoological Survey of India on page 126, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.847631

1851. Drassodes Westring, Goteborgs. K. Vetensk-O. Vitterh Samh. Handle, 2: 25. 1977. Drassodes: Tikader, Rec. zool. Surv. India, 72 (1-4): 186. Type-species Drassodes lepidosus (Walckenaer). Distribution: Oriental, Sub-tropical and temparate region of the world., Published as part of Biswas, B. & Majumder, S. C., 1995, Araneae Spider. - Zoological Survey of India, pp. 93-128 in State Fauna Series 4 Fauna of Meghalaya Part 2, Zoological Survey of India on page 126, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.847631

Five new species of spider genus Drassodes (himalayensis, sitae, indraprastha, gangeticus and deoprayagensis) of the family Gnaphosidae from India are described.

SUMMARYThe diploid set in the males of Clubiona drassodes Cambridge, Strotarchus vittatus Dyal and Castianeira longipalpus (Hentz) consists of twenty-two, twenty-two and twenty-six chromosomes respectively which also include two sex-chromosomes. S. vittatus carries ten metacentric and ten acrocentric autosomes besides two acrocentric sex-chromosomes. The chromosomes of C. drassodes and C. longipalpus are acrocentrics irrespective of the autosomes and the sex-chromosomes. The sex-chromosomes in C. drassodes, S. vittatus and C. longipalpus, are unequal and show synchronous, precocious and delayed movement during anaphase I respectively.