ABSTRACT
Spiders are a highly diversified group of arthropods and play an important role in terrestrial ecosystems as ubiquitous predators, which makes them a suitable group to test a variety of eco-evolutionary hypotheses. For this purpose, knowledge of a diverse range of species traits is required. Until now, data on spider traits have been scattered across thousands of publications produced for over two centuries and written in diverse languages. To facilitate access to such data, we developed an online database for archiving and accessing spider traits at a global scale. The database has been designed to accommodate a great variety of traits (e.g. ecological, behavioural and morphological) measured at individual, species or higher taxonomic levels. Records are accompanied by extensive metadata (e.g. location and method). The database is curated by an expert team, regularly updated and open to any user. A future goal of the growing database is to include all published and unpublished data on spider traits provided by experts worldwide and to facilitate broad cross-taxon assays in functional ecology and comparative biology. Database URL:https://spidertraits.sci.muni.cz/.
Subject(s)
Arthropods , Spiders , Animals , Databases, Factual , Ecosystem , Phenotype , Spiders/geneticsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are widespread in subterranean ecosystems worldwide and represent an important component of subterranean trophic webs. Yet, global-scale diversity patterns of subterranean spiders are still mostly unknown. In the frame of the CAWEB project, a European joint network of cave arachnologists, we collected data on cave-dwelling spider communities across Europe in order to explore their continental diversity patterns. Two main datasets were compiled: one listing all subterranean spider species recorded in numerous subterranean localities across Europe and another with high resolution data about the subterranean habitat in which they were collected. From these two datasets, we further generated a third dataset with individual geo-referenced occurrence records for all these species. NEW INFORMATION: Data from 475 geo-referenced subterranean localities (caves, mines and other artificial subterranean sites, interstitial habitats) are herein made available. For each subterranean locality, information about the composition of the spider community is provided, along with local geomorphological and habitat features. Altogether, these communities account for > 300 unique taxonomic entities and 2,091 unique geo-referenced occurrence records, that are made available via the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (Mammola and Cardoso 2019). This dataset is unique in that it covers both a large geographic extent (from 35° south to 67° north) and contains high-resolution local data on geomorphological and habitat features. Given that this kind of high-resolution data are rarely associated with broad-scale datasets used in macroecology, this dataset has high potential for helping researchers in tackling a range of biogeographical and macroecological questions, not necessarily uniquely related to arachnology or subterranean biology.
ABSTRACT
Macroecologists seek to identify drivers of community turnover (ß-diversity) through broad spatial scales. However, the influence of local habitat features in driving broad-scale ß-diversity patterns remains largely untested, owing to the objective challenges of associating local-scale variables to continental-framed datasets. We examined the relative contribution of local- versus broad-scale drivers of continental ß-diversity patterns, using a uniquely suited dataset of cave-dwelling spider communities across Europe (35-70° latitude). Generalized dissimilarity modelling showed that geographical distance, mean annual temperature and size of the karst area in which caves occurred drove most of ß-diversity, with differential contributions of each factor according to the level of subterranean specialization. Highly specialized communities were mostly influenced by geographical distance, while less specialized communities were mostly driven by mean annual temperature. Conversely, local-scale habitat features turned out to be meaningless predictors of community change, which emphasizes the idea of caves as the human accessible fraction of the extended network of fissures that more properly represents the elective habitat of the subterranean fauna. To the extent that the effect of local features turned to be inconspicuous, caves emerge as experimental model systems in which to study broad biological patterns without the confounding effect of local habitat features.
Subject(s)
Environment , Spiders/physiology , Animals , Biodiversity , Ecosystem , Europe , Geography , Species Specificity , TemperatureABSTRACT
The spider genus Porrhomma has been revised; it now includes 24 species. Two new species are described: Porrhomma altaica new species from the Altai Mountains, and Porrhomma nekolai new species from eastern Asia and North America. Bathyphantes charpentieri Lebert, 1877 was removed from synonymy with Porrhomma microphthalmum (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871). The following new synonymies are proposed: Bathyphantes charpentieri Lebert, 1877 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma convexum (Westring, 1851) new synonymy; Porrhomma gertschi Hackman, 1954 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma terrestre (Emerton, 1882) new synonymy; Porrhomma myops Simon, 1884 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma rosenhaueri (L. Koch, 1872) new synonymy; Porrhomma ocella Chamberlin Ivie, 1943 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma convexum (Westring, 1851) new synonymy; Porrhomma omissum Miller, 1971 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma egeria Simon, 1884 new synonymy; Porrhomma pallidum affinis Miller Kratochvíl, 1940 is a junior synonym of Porrhomma pallidum Jackson, 1913 new synonymy; Porrhomma sodonta (Chamberlin, 1949) is a junior synonym of Porrhomma convexum (Westring, 1851) new synonymy. The synonymy of Porrhomma macrochelis (Emerton, 1917) with Macrargus multesimus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875) is supported. Porrhomma subterraneum Simon, 1884 is considered a nomen dubium, because it was described according to a juvenile specimen. To date, Porrhomma indecorum Simon, 1910 and Porrhomma marphaense Wunderlich, 1983 are only known from findings of females; they are considered to be species inquirenda, and their names are declared nomina dubia. Keys are provided for males and females. Vulvae are drawn in dorsal, ventral and caudal views to understand their spatial structure.
Subject(s)
Animal Distribution , Spiders , Animals , Asia, Eastern , Female , Male , North AmericaABSTRACT
Members of the genus Gnaphosa belong to the largest gnaphosid spiders. They are particularly interesting in nature conservation as their distribution is mainly restricted to disappearing natural non-forest habitats. In Europe, several Gnaphosa species groups occur. The exclusively Palaearctic group G. bicolor is characterised by a retrolaterally-shifted embolus, which occupies at least part of the middle one-third of the palpal bulb; females have laterally expanded epigyne and often have very elongated median epigynal ducts (Ovtsharenko et al. 1992). So far four species of this group have been identified in Europe, with a fifth species found in Central Asia (G. tarabaevi Ovtsharenko, Platnick Song, 1992). Two of the European species, G. bicolor (Hahn, 1831) and G. badia (L. Koch, 1866), are well known and their taxonomy and nomenclature is stable, but the same does not hold true for the other two.
