Species conservation profiles of the endemic spiders Troglohyphantes (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from the Alps and the north-western Dinarides.

Background The genus Troglohyphantes Joseph, 1882 (Araneae, Linyphiidae) includes 131 species, mainly distributed across the main European mountain ranges. The Alps and the northwestern Dinarides account for 66 species, most of them showing narrow or even point-like distributions. The majority of Troglohyphantes spiders dwell in subterranean habitats including caves, mines, soil litter, rocky debris and other moist and shaded retreats. Despite being intensively studied from taxonomic, ecological and biogeographic standpoints, knowledge on the status of conservation and on the potential risk of extinction of these spiders is lagging. To date, only three species have been included in the global IUCN Red List, but their status has not been updated ever since their last assessment in 1996. The aim of this contribution is to assess the Alpine and north-western Dinaric species of the genus Troglohyphantes and to re-assess the species previously evaluated, according to the last version of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]