In many vertebrate systems, early experience has been linked to the learning of species-specific traits that are subsequently assessed during mate choice, thus ensuring conspecific matings. In invertebrate systems, however, early experience was not thought to play a role in mate choice until a recent study using Schizocosa uetzi Stratton 1997 wolf spiders demonstrated that females mate more readily with males of a familiar versus unfamiliar phenotype. The function of early mate choice learning in this system is not yet known, but a role in learning species-specific traits seems unlikely. In northwestern Mississippi, S. uetzi is found sympatrically with S. stridulans Stratton 1991, which matures slightly earlier in the season. If S. uetzi early mate choice learning functions in learning species-specific traits used in mate choice, as is often the case in vertebrate systems, then subadult female exposure to heterospecifics (S. stridulans) could result in heterospecific matings. Here, I exposed subadult S. uetzi females to courtship advances from mature males of either S. uetzi (conspecifics) or S. stridulans (heterospecifics) in order to test a species-specific mate choice learning function. Previously exposed females were paired with a mature male of the same, or the opposite, species as their exposure male. As expected, the results do not support a species-specific mate choice learning function. Previously exposed females mated significantly more with conspecific males regardless of their exposure treatment, as did unexposed females. The highest pre-mating sexual cannibalism rates occurred in heterospecific mate choice trials regardless of the exposure treatment, and exposed females were more likely to cannibalize males than unexposed females. While previous results demonstrate that subadult experience influences conspecific mate choice, a species recognition template seems to exist that is independent of the influence of early experience. The potential influence of multimodal signal interactions on conspecific mate choice learning is discussed.

This study examines species in a relatively diverse lineage of Ariamnes spiders in the Hawaiian archipelago, where they appear to have undergone adaptive radiation, with several species generally co-occurring at any one locality. The lineage was initially described by the single species A. corniger Simon 1900. The Hawaiian representatives of this lineage are characterized by variably elongate abdomens and are mostly free-living, at least as adults, although a number have been found to occur, at least facultatively, as kleptoparasites on the webs of other spiders. These spiders are all nocturnal. Their phylogenetic affinities with other representatives of the genus outside the Hawaiian Islands are unclear. Ten new species are described here: A. kahili, A. huinakolu, A. makue, A. uwepa, A. poele, A. melekalikimaka, A. alepeleke, A. laau, A. waikula, and A. hiwa. These species, together with the single described species Ariamnes corniger, include all known representatives of the lineage in the Hawaiian Islands. Different species occur in middle and high elevations and in wet and dry habitats.

Eupalestrus weijenberghi (Thorell 1894) and Acanthoscurria suina Pocock 1903 are two fossorial, sympatric, synchronic, and similar-sized species of tarantulas that inhabit the meadows of Uruguay. Both species use seismic signals for communicating during courtship (body vibrations in males, leg tapping in females), but little is known either about temporal and spectral signal characteristics or effective signal range. Males were elicited to court (body vibrations) by exposing them to sexual pheromones in one end of a terrarium, whereas females were successively placed in burrows at different distances from the courting male. Seismic male signals were registered by using a geophone placed near the females. We found that E. weijenberghi male signals reach at least 135.75 cm, whereas A. suina signals reach at least 110.5 cm. There was no correlation between latency of female response and distances at which the male was courting for either of the spider species. For A. suina, a bout of vibration was characterized by two syllables (tucks), followed by a series of syllables (buzz 1 and buzz 2). Eupalestrus weijenberghi males show several tucks, followed by buzz 1 and buzz 2. Differences in sexual signals (length of syllables and number of tucks) are assumed to maintain the reproductive isolation between these similar sized, sympatric and synchronic species. Similarities are seen in adaptations to the same environment, allowing effective rates of sexual communication at long distances.

Hogna coloradensis (Banks 1894) (Araneae, Lycosidae) is redescribed. Banks' original description from 1894 made identification difficult. Internal and external genitalia of both sexes are herein described and illustrated. The spider is found east of the Rocky Mountains from Wyoming south to Mexico. It constructs shallow, straight burrows that it sometimes closes with small rocks and debris. Lycosa evagra Chamberlin 1925 is synonymized with H. coloradensis.

The systematic status of the wolf spider genus Sosippus Simon 1888 is reviewed. Males of four species: S. placidus Brady 1972, S. janus Brady 1972, S. michoacanus Brady 1962 and S. agalenoides Banks 1909 are described and fully illustrated for the first time. A cladistic analysis based upon twelve morphological characters resulted in two distinct species-groups within Sosippus. One species-group of the genus occurs from Georgia and Florida in the southeastern United States, westward along the Gulf Coast to south Texas. A second species-group occurs in Arizona and California, and is found in Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica. A new key to the ten species of Sosippus now recognized is presented and updated to include male characters and other features. Collections and observations since earlier studies have provided new information about the social behavior and more widespread distribution of Sosippus janus. Maps have been reconstructed to update the ranges of all species. A preliminary cladistic analysis of the nine species of Sosippus for which both genders are known is presented. Additional critical drawings are provided to illustrate features in the character analysis and facilitate use of the key.

The number of matings obtained by a male is likely to be a major component of his lifetime fitness. Males that depend on finding mates before their competitors must allocate resources to this effort, potentially at the expense of their reproductive rate. Male crab spiders Misumena vatia (Clerck 1757) often occur at low densities and experience considerable difficulty in finding females. This constraint might select for their cursorial body form and high movement rates at the expense of their reproductive rate. Male M. vatia will not mate more than once in rapid succession and typically no more than once every other day, although they are capable of several matings over their lifetime. Males may rarely encounter virgin females more often than once every other day and thus would experience little loss of fitness from an inability to mate in rapid order.

Morphological modifications of the first pair of legs in addition to widespread color variations of these legs among males of closely related species have been reported in a variety of spiders. Here, the evidence for sexual dimorphism in male foreleg morphology within wolf spiders (family Lycosidae) is reviewed and shown to occur in a number of species belonging to at least seven genera in five subfamilies: Alopecosa, Hogna, Schizocosa (all Lycosinae) Pirata (Piratinae), Evippa, (Evippinae), Pardosa (Pardosinae) and Artoria (Artoriinae). These modifications, often in combination with distinct dark pigmentation, can be divided into three major groups: leg elongation, segment swelling and exaggerated setation (“brushes”). The latter two occur mainly on the tibial segment of the first leg. The function of these foreleg modifications has been studied most extensively in the genus Schizocosa. Since the courtship displays of all male Schizocosa incorporate a seismic component, foreleg ornamentation (namely pigmentation and associated “brushes”) composes only one part of a multimodal courtship display. The function of this foreleg ornamentation appears to vary across closely related Schizocosa species and in some instances involves an interaction with the seismic signaling component. In most instances it appears to play a role in female mate choice and/or mate choice learning. In addition to reviewing lycosid foreleg modifications, we describe a new species of wolf spider, Artoria schizocoides from southwestern Western Australia that possesses sexually dimorphic modifications of the tibia of the first leg. Unique within the Artoriinae, males of this species carry spatulate setae on the ventral side of the tibia of the first leg that differ morphologically from other leg modifications in wolf spiders.

Brachistosternus (Leptosternus) aconcagua new species, from the Chilean central Andes, is described. Brachistosternus (L.) chilensis Kraepelin 1911 is redescribed. Both species are related to other Andean species of the genus and with other species from central and northern Chile.

RESUMEN. Se describe a Brachistosternus (Leptosternus) aconcagua nueva especie de los Andes centrales Chilenos. Se redescribe a Brachistosternus (L.) chilensis Kraepelin 1911. Ambas especies se encuentran relacionadas con las especies andinas del género y con algunas especies del centro y norte de Chile.

Three species of the genus Draconarius are recognized from Korea and all are described and illustrated. Coelotes kayasanensis Paik 1972 is transferred to Draconarius (D. kayasanensis new combination) based on the presence of a patellar apophysis, the hooked dorsal apophysis of the conductor in the male palp, the position of the spermathecal head, and the shape of the broadly rectangular genital opening of the female situated posteriorly near the epigastric furrow. The male of D. coreanus (Paik & Yaginuma 1969) and the female of D. kayasanensis are described for the first time. A neotype of D. coreanus is designated in the present study because of the loss of the holotype, limited range of the species, and the small population size. Draconarius hallaensis new species is described and is distinguished by its small size (less than 8 mm in total body length), large rounded retrolateral tibial apophysis, and median apophysis that has a distally divided thumb-shaped inner part.

Spiders have been advocated as valuable bio-indicators of forest ecosystem “health.” However, the numbers and types of spiders that are recorded at a site will usually be highly dependent on the sampling method employed. The use of lethal, indiscriminate invertebrate sampling techniques is undesirable when investigating rare species, or sampling within areas of high conservation status. Therefore we used non-lethal artificial tree-mounted shelters to monitor arboreal spiders in nature reserves near Christchurch, New Zealand. After three months, over 60% of the shelters had been used by spiders, increasing to 91% after twelve months. There were significant differences in the numbers of spiders found in the shelters at the different sites. However, factors such as the species of tree the shelter was attached to, ground vegetation, and levels of incident light did not affect the likelihood of a shelter being occupied. The species composition of the spider faunas in those sites regarded as high quality forest remnants was dissimilar to the faunas found in the low quality reserves. However, although spiders were more abundant in the high quality sites compared with the poorest stands of woodland, they were not more species rich. The shelters are inexpensive and easy to manufacture and are useful for long-term non-lethal monitoring of spider communities. They also have good potential as a tool for studying spider phenology, population dynamics, behavior, and as a collection/carriage device for live specimens used in conservation translocations.

The female of Phrynus exsul Harvey is described from Rinca Island, Komodo Island National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands, eastern Indonesia. The new populations were found in forested biotopes, suggesting that it occupies a range of habitats.

INTISARI. Betina Phrynus exsul Harvey dipertelakan dari Pulau Rinca, Taman Nasional Pulau Komodo di Kepulauan Lesser Sunda, Indonesia timur. Populasi baru ditemukan di kawasan hutan yang diduga sebagai perluasan habitat.

Because competition for resources generally leads to the spatial exclusion of species using similar resources, it is surprising that foreign spider species are frequently observed in or near the nests of the social spider, Anelosimus studiosus (Hentz 1850) (Theridiidae). In this study, we quantified the frequency of A. studiosus-foreign spider co-occurrence and completed experiments designed to explain the nature of the host-foreign spider species associations. Four families were numerically prominent nest associates of A. studiosus: Salticidae, Anyphaenidae, Araneidae and Tetragnathidae. These families and the Agelenidae (intermediate association rate) and (Philodromidae) (infrequent association rate) were subjected to further study. In choice trials, no foreign spider family discriminated nest silk or A. studiosus, itself, from the foliage the nest is built in. Predation events and maximum inter-individual spacing were significant outcomes of induced pair-wise interactions between host and foreign spiders for all families. Predation events were almost exclusively foreign on host. Field census results show that a close correspondence exists between the rate of loss of A. studiosus nests over time and the association rate of anyphaenids and agelenids at particular sites: these two families were the prominent predators on A. studiosus in laboratory trials. In reciprocal predation tests, juveniles suffered less predation in the presence of a mother; in the reciprocal trials, mothers also suffered less predation from foreign spiders when juveniles were present.

A new species of Lycosidae, Trebacosa europaea, is described from male specimens collected within reed beds of Lake Velencei from Hungary. The species represents the Palearctic sister species of the Nearctic Trebacosa marxi (Stone 1890), and occurs in a very specialized habitat of Phragmitetum communis.

The sparassid genus Macrinus Simon 1887 is revised, the type species, M. succineus Simon 1887, is redescribed and Olios pollexensis Schenkel 1953 is transferred to the genus. Females are described and illustrated for the first time. Macrinus milleri Caporiacco 1955 is placed as incertae sedis and a new species, Macrinus jaegeri, is described from the states of Pará and Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The Asian wolf spider Arctosa subamylacea (Bösenberg & Strand 1906), originally described from Japan, is currently treated as a junior synonym of the European Arctosa stigmosa (Thorell 1875). However, both species differ noticeably in genital and somatic morphology. Here, we remove A. subamylacea from its synonymy with A. stigmosa and redescribe both species from material recently collected in Asia and Europe. Both species differ in their habitat preferences, as A. stigmosa typically inhabits gravel and sandy habitats in alluvial river floodplains, whereas A. subamylacea lives in low vegetation near hills and in agricultural areas, sometimes near ponds and lakesides.

Two allopatric species of Coryphasia (Araneae: Salticidae), both described for the first time in this study, have been found associated with Bromeliaceae in distinct phytophysiognomies (e.g., inselbergs, highland forests and restingas) from southeastern Brazil. In this study, we investigated whether these salticids were associated specifically with bromeliads, and whether they used bromeliads of different species and sizes in distinct geographic regions. The Coryphasia species were rarely found outside bromeliads, occupied larger bromeliad species among those available, and were generally more frequent on bromeliads in open areas, such as inselbergs on mountain tops. The two Coryphasia species were observed submerging in phytotelmata, possibly as an anti-predatory behavior. The patterns of spatial and microspatial distribution and the submergence behavior of these species were similar to those of other bromeliad-dwelling salticids, which suggests a convergence among spiders that live on bromeliads.

The critical thermal maximum (CTMax) of Peucetia viridans Hentz 1832 adult spiders was determined in the laboratory. Mean temperature at death was higher for gravid spiders (49.4° C) than for postparturient females (47.2° C) and males (46.9° C). Painted copper spider models placed in the environment to examine available temperatures predicted that spider body temperatures would rarely exceed 40° C thus making it unlikely for P. viridans to naturally reach CTMax, at least in the climate of central Tennessee.

A new species, Drassyllus broussardi, is described from Presidio County, West Texas, USA. The species belongs to the insularis group but has a distinctively elongated embolus in males and concomitantly elongated copulatory ducts in females.

Parental care in harvestmen may take several forms including egg hiding, egg guarding, egg transport and young guarding. In most species, one adult, usually the female, performs guarding of the young. From 9 July–3 August 2005, we made observations of parental care by adults of the Neotropical cranaid harvestman Phareicranaus calcariferus (Simon 1879) in northern and central Trinidad. Nine observations involved an adult female and young while three appeared to include both an adult female and male with young. The number of young present was inversely related to the size of the young, indicating that parental care in this species may occur over an extended period of time.

Based on a photo published in a book on New Zealand arachnids, I propose here that the cases of maternal care described by Forster in 1954 should be considered as paternal care. Maternal care is therefore restricted to the superfamily Gonyleptoidea, while paternal care has evolved in five phylogenetically independent lineages of Opiliones, including representatives of the superfamilies Travunioidea, Epedanoidea, and Gonyleptoidea.

A new species, Socalchemmis arroyoseco, described from Monterey County, California, is clearly not a member of either of the species groups currently recognized in that genus, but does appear to be more closely related to those species groups than to the other genera in the Liocranoides complex.

A new species of Erigonoplus, E. galophilus, is described from eastern Crimea, Ukraine.