Further notes on the Afrotropical genus Festucula Simon, 1901 (Araneae, Salticidae).

Notes on four Festucula species are provided. One species, F.botswanasp. nov., is described as new to science (♀, Botswana). The name F.monticola is revalidated and the male of this species is assigned. The female of F.lawrencei is described for the first time. A new record of F.leroyae is provided.

Description of a stunning new species of Phlegra Simon, 1876 from southern Spain and redescription of an enigmatic Phlegra species from northern Africa (Araneae: Salticidae).

A new species of jumping spider, Phlegra blaugrana sp. nov., is described (, Cdiz Province, Spain). Phlegra nitidiventris Lucas, 1846 is redescribed, and the female is described for the first time. Phlegra sapphirina Thorell, 1875 syn. nov. is synonymized with P. nitidiventris. A distribution map for P. blaugrana sp. nov. and P. nitidiventris is provided, and elements of the courtship behaviour of P. blaugrana sp. nov. are described.

The harvestmen fauna (Arachnida: Opiliones) of the Katunsky Biosphere Reserve and adjacent territories (South Siberia, Russia), with a description of a new species of Sabacon (Sabaconidae) and notes on Sabacon sergeidedicatum Martens, 1989.

An annotated list of harvestmen species (six species in two families) of the Katunsky Biosphere Reserve and adjacent territories in the Altai Republic, Russia is provided. A new species, Sabacon zateevi sp. nov. (♂ ♀ from the Altai Mountains, Russia), is described. Liropilio stukanovi Gritsenko, 1979 is recorded from Russia for the first time, and appearance and diagnostic features of its male are described. The appearance of a living specimen of the female of Homolophus nordenskioeldi (C.L. Koch, 1879) is also provided. For all the studied species, biotope preferences and distribution are discussed. Additional information on morphology and distribution of Sabacon sergeidedicatum Martens, 1989 is given.

A revision of Pachyballus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus Simon, 1900 (Araneae, Salticidae, Ballini) with descriptions of new species.

Two genera from the tribe Ballini (Araneae, Salticidae), Pachyballus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus Simon, 1900, are remarkable for their resemblance to beetles. Their biology is, however, poorly known and taxonomy has hitherto been rarely analysed. Thirteen species are included in this taxonomic revision of the two genera. Six of them are new to the science: Pachyballus caelestis sp. nov. (♂♀, Congo D.R.), Pachyballus miniscutulus sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), Pachyballus mombasensis sp. nov. (♂♀, Kenya), Pachyballus ornatus sp. nov. (♂♀, Congo D.R. and Tanzania), Peplometus congoensis sp. nov. (♂♀, Congo and Congo D.R.), and Peplometus nimba sp. nov. (♂, Guinea). One species (Pachyballus cordiformis Berland et Millot, 1941) and a subspecies (P. flavipes aurantius Caporiacco, 1949) are recognised as synonyms of Pachyballus flavipes Simon, 1910. One new combination is proposed: Peplometus oyo (Wesolowska et Russell-Smith, 2011) comb. nov. (ex Pachyballus). The previously unknown females of Pachyballus transversus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus chlorophthalmus Simon, 1900, along with the males of Pachyballus castaneus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus biscutellatus (Simon, 1887) are newly diagnosed and described. Neotypes for Pachyballus castaneus and P. flavipes are designated. Numerous new data on the distribution are provided here and a key to Pachyballus females and to the males of Peplometus is presented. Identity of one species remains doubtful, Pachyballus gambeyi (Simon, 1880).

Partial revision of the Afrotropical Ballini, with the description of seven new genera (Araneae: Salticidae).

The jumping spider tribe Ballini is reviewed in the Afrotropical Region. The genera Afromarengo Benjamin, 2004 and Goleta Peckham Peckham, 1894 are redefined. In Afromarengo, A. coriacea (Simon, 1900) is illustrated and A. ghanaensis sp. nov. (♀, from Ghana) and A. ugandensis sp. nov. (♂♀, from Uganda and D.R. Congo) are newly described. For Goleta, the type species, Goleta workmani (Peckham Peckham, 1885), is redescribed from both sexes. Seven new genera and twelve new species are described, including three monotypic genera, Ballagascar gen. nov., with B. insularis (Peckham Peckham, 1885) comb. nov. (ex Colaxes Simon, 1900) from Madagascar (♂♀) as the type species; Mondeku gen. nov., with M. albopilosum sp. nov. (♂♀, from Kenya) as the type species; and Oviballus gen. nov., with O. vidae sp. nov. (♂♀, from South Africa) as the type species. We also describe Planamarengo gen. nov., with P. bimaculata (Peckham Peckham, 1903) comb. nov. (ex Afromarengo) from South Africa (♂♀) as the type species, as well as P. gatamaiyu sp. nov. (♂, from Kenya) and P. kenyaensis sp. nov. (♂♀, from Kenya); Propiomarengo gen. nov., with P. plana (Haddad Wesolowska, 2013) comb. nov. (ex Afromarengo) from South Africa (♀) as the type species, as well as P. foordi sp. nov. (♂, from South Africa); Tenuiballus gen. nov., with T. minor sp. nov. (♂, from South Africa) as the type species, and also including T. coronatus sp. nov. (♂, from South Africa); and Wandawe gen. nov., with W. benjamini (Wesolowska Haddad, 2013) comb. n. (ex Colaxes) from South Africa (♂♀) as the type species, and also including W. australe sp. nov. (♂♀, from South Africa) and W. tigrinа sp. nov. (♂♀, from Kenya and Uganda). A new combination for Copocrossa albozonata Caporiacco, 1949, Afromarengo albozonata comb. nov. is provided, and the name A. albozonata is treated as a nomen dubium. A new species of Padilla Peckham Peckham, 1894, a genus only known from the Afrotropical Indian Ocean islands, P. wandae sp. nov. (♂♀, from Madagascar), is described. New data and illustrations for Sadies Wanless, 1984, as well as two Asian species of Colaxes, are provided. The recently revised Pachyballus Simon, 1900 and Peplometus Simon, 1900 are not treated further. A key to the genera of Afrotropical Ballinae is presented, as well as new data on their natural history, biogeography, and a discussion of the evolution of mimicry of various arthropod groups by balline jumping spiders. A putative synapomorphy and the new composition of Ballini sensu novo are proposed.

Halocosa gen. n., a new genus of Lycosidae (Araneae) from the Palaearctic, with a redescription of H. cereipes (L. Koch, 1878).

A new wolf-spider genus, Halocosa gen. n. (Lycosidae Sundevall, 1833), is described. Evippa apsheronica Marusik, Guseinov et Koponen, 2003 is synonymized with Lycosa cereipes L. Koch, 1878. Three new combinations are proposed: Halocosa cereipes (L. Koch, 1878) comb. n. (ex Lycosa), H. hatanensis comb. n. (ex Pardosa) and H. jartica comb. n. (ex Pardosa). Neotype of Lycosa cereipes is designated.

On the synonymy of two wolf spider species of the genus Alopecosa (Araneae, Lycosidae) from the steppe zone of Russia.

Alopecosa atypica Ponomarev, 2008 is known from the holotype male collected in Western Kazakhstan. Here we synonymize it with A. cronebergi (Thorell, 1875), which was described from two syntype females from the Volga River and Daghestan. This species is redescribed in detail and its distribution is shown to be restricted to Russia and Ukraine, and previous records from Hungary are probably mistaken.

Redescription of the poorly known crab spider Xysticus spasskyi (Araneae: Thomisidae).

With 372 species, Xysticus C.L. Koch, 1835 is the largest genus in the family Thomisidae (WSC 2016). As with other speciose genera, the genus has never been revised on a global scale and is only thoroughly known in a few parts of the Holarctic, namely Central and Northern Europe, North America, Israel and Japan. Over 200 species are known from one/two taxonomic references only, or from a single illustrated description/redescription (WSC 2016). The fact that 40% of species are known from only one sex (104 females and 54 males) or from juveniles (8 species) (WSC 2016) suggests that Xysticus requires revision. During a study of crab spiders of the Caucasus, we experienced difficulties in identifying Xysticus spasskyi Utochkin, 1968 due to the lack of detailed figures of the male palp and female epigyne. This species was based on the holotype female collected from an unspecified locality in the coastal part of modern Kransnodar Province (Utochkin 1968). The male of X. spasskyi was described as X. umbrinus Utochkin, 1968 from Kuban' Region (currently Krasnodar Province). The two species were synonymised by Ovtsharenko (1979). Besides Krasnodar Province, the species has been reported from North Ossetia (Ponomarev & Komarov 2013) and South Ossetia (Ponomarev & Komarov 2015), Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Crimea (Mikhailov 2013; Otto 2015). The illustrations in the descriptions of Utochkin (1968) and Ovtsharenko (1979), are either very small, schematic or provide no diagnostic details. The endogyne (=vulva) of this species has never been illustrated. Here we redescribe this species and compare distant populations.

Descriptions of two new species of Aelurillus Simon, 1884 (Araneae, Salticidae) from the Mediterranean, with the synonymization of A.steliosi Dobroruka, 2002.

Two Aelurillus species are described as new, Aelurillusalboclypeus sp. n. (♂♀, from Turkey) and Aelurillusdeltshevi sp. n. (♂, from Macedonia, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan). Aelurillussteliosi Dobroruka, 2002 is synonymized with Aelurillusleipoldae (Metzner, 1999). Additional distributions of the closely related species Aelurillusv-insignitus are provided for the region of study. Distributional maps are provided for the five species reported in this paper.

A new species of wolf-spider (Alopecosa ogorodica sp.n.) from the Russian Mountain Altai with remarks on Arctosa meitanensis Yin et al., 1993 (Araneae: Lycosidae).

Alopecosa ogorodica sp.n. (♂♀), a new wolf-spider species (Lycosidae) from the Russian Mountain Altai is described. New data, diagnosis, description and drawings on Arctosa meitanensis Yin et al., 1993 are provided. 

Euophryine jumping spiders of the Afrotropical Region-new taxa and a checklist (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae).

Two new genera, Rumburak gen. nov. and Yimbulunga gen. nov., of euophryine jumping spiders are established from the Afrotropical Region. Thirty three new species included in this subfamily are diagnosed and described: Chinophrys trifasciata sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), Euophrys bifida sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), E. cochlea sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), E. elizabethae sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), E. falciger sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), E. gracilis sp. nov. (♂♀, Lesotho, South Africa), E. griswoldi sp. nov. (♂, Namibia), E. limpopo sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), E. maseruensis sp. nov. (♂, Lesotho), E. meridionalis sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), E. miranda sp. nov. (♀, South Africa), E. nana sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), E. recta sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), E. subtilis sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), Rumburak bellus sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), R. hilaris sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), R. lateripunctatus sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), R. mirabilis sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), R. tuberatus (♂, South Africa), R. virilis (♂♀, South Africa), Tanzania parvulus sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), T. striatus sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), Thyenula alotama sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), T. cheliceroides sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), T. clarosignata sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), T. dentatidens sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), T. haddadi (♂♀, South Africa), T. montana sp. nov. (♂, Lesotho), T. rufa sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa), T. tenebrica sp. nov. (♀, South Africa), T. virgulata sp. nov. (♂, South Africa), T. vulnifica sp. nov. (♂♀, South Africa) and Yimbulunga foordi sp. nov. (♂, South Africa). Two species names are newly synonymized: Thyenula hortensis Wesolowska & Cumming, 2008 with T. munda (Peckham & Peckham, 1903) and Thyenula nelshoogte Zhang & Maddison, 2012 with T. laxa Zhang & Maddison, 2012.  Three new combinations are proposed: Heliophanus kittenbergeri (Caporiacco, 1947) (ex Euophrys), Rumburak laxus (Zhang & Maddison, 2012) (ex Thyenula) and Thyenula munda (Peckham & Peckham, 1903) (ex Saitis). Two names are recognized as nomina dubia: Euophrys nigrescens Caporiacco, 1940 and Saitis magnus Caporiacco, 1947. The first member of the genus Chinophrys Zhang & Maddison, 2012 is reported from Africa. The males of Euophrys leipoldti Peckham & Peckham, 1903 and Thyenula sempiterna Wesolowska, 2000 are described for the first time. Tanzania minutus (Wesolowska & Russell-Smith, 2000) is recorded from South Africa for the first time. A list of valid species of Afrotropical Euophryinae with data on their distribution in the region is provided. A key is supplied for the known genera of the region (based on males). 

Redescriptions of poorly known species of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) from South Africa and Namibia.

The following seven species of southern African Salticidae, known only from type specimens or one sex, and last described in the early 20th century, are redescribed: Baryphas ahenus Simon, 1902, Brancus muticus Simon, 1902, Euophrys quadrispinosa Lawrence, 1927, Evarcha natalica Simon, 1902, Mogrus macrocephalus Lawrence, 1927, Thyene damarensis Lawrence, 1927 and Thyene bilineata Lawrence, 1927. Two new synonyms are proposed, Thyene damarensis Lawrence, 1927 syn. n. with Hyllus dotatus (Peckham et Peckham, 1903) and Thyene bilineata striatipes Lawrence, 1927 syn. n. with T bilineata Lawrence, 1927. One new combination is proposed, Thyenula natalica comb. n. (ex Evarcha). Leetotypes for Baryphas ahenus Simon, 1902 and Thyene bilineata Lawrence, 1927 are designated. The female of Brancus muticus Simon, 1902 is described for the first time.