SERKET The Arachnological Bulletin of the Middle East and North Africa Volume 15 Part 1 May, 2016 Cairo, Egypt 4* »!* 4* rx% ISSN: 1110-502X Argiope trifasciata (Forskal, 1775) male and female in a garden in Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt, May 2016 (Photos by: H.K. El-Hennawy). Volume 15 May, 2016 SERKET Part 1 Cairo, Egypt Contents Page New data on the diversity of scorpion fauna in the oases of south eastern Morocco Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan, Oulaid Touloun & Ali Boumezzough 1 The spider fauna of Hasan Mountain in Turkey Hakki Onur Kogyigit, Hakan Demir & Osman Seyyar 8 Arabelia Bosselaers, 2009 and Arabella pheidoleicomes Bosselaers, 2009 (Araneae: Liocranidae) are new records for the Turkish Spider Fauna Osman Seyyar, Anil Oba, Hakan Demir & Tuncay Turkey 30 Spiders of Sebkhet El Melah (Northern Sahara, Algeria): Review and new records Youcef Alioua, Sarnia Bissati, Ourida Kherbouche & Robert Bosmans 33 New records to the spider fauna of Turkey (Araneae: Eutichuridae, Gnaphosidae) Adile Akpmar, Muhammad Ismail Varol & Hisham K. El-Hennawy 41 Stalagtia hercegovinensis (Nosek, 1905), a new record from Turkey (Araneae: Dysderidae) Muhammed Ismail Varol 44 Walckenaeria cirriceps Thaler, 1996, a new record from Turkey (Araneae: Linyphiidae) Tank Dam§man & Ilhan Co§ar 47 Newly recorded species: Steatoda cingulata (Thorell, 1890) from India (Araneae: Theridiidae) Anuradha Rajoria 50 Newly recorded species: Parasteatoda oxymaculata (Zhu, 1998) from India (Araneae: Theridiidae) Anuradha Rajoria 53 Newly recorded species: Euryopis episinoides (Walckenaer, 1847) from India (Araneae: Theridiidae) Anuradha Rajoria 56 First record of genus Orchestina Simon, 1882 in India (Araneae: Oonopidae) Anuradha Rajoria & Harishant Jadhao 60 The first record of Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) and genus Ostearius Hull, 1911 (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Egypt Hisham K. El-Hennawy, Mohammad A. Mohafez, Amr A. El-Gendy & Ibrahim A. I. Zaher 63 A note on Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 (Araneae: Oecobiidae) Hisham K. El-Hennawy 68 Volume 15 (2016-2017) Back issues: Vol. 1 (1987-1990), Vol. 2 (1990-1992), Vol. 3 (1992-1993), Vol. 4 (1994-1996), Vol. 5 (1996-1997), Vol. 6 (1998-2000), Vol. 7 (2000-2001), Vol. 8 (2002-2003), Vol. 9 (2004-2005), Vol. 10 (2006-2007), Vol. 11 (2008-2009), Vol. 12 (2010-2011), Vol. 13 (2012-2013), Vol. 14 (2014-2015). Correspondence concerning subscription, back issues, publication, etc. should be addressed to the editor: Hisham K. El-Hennawy Postal address: 41, El-Manteqa El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt E-mail: el_hennawy@hotmail.com Webpage: http://serketl987.blogspot.com fcT . kIa *1a *1a *1a *1a *1a *1a *1a *1a *1a AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* AT* ISSN: 1110-502X Serket (2016) vol. 15(1): 1-7. New data on the diversity of scorpion fauna in the oases of south eastern Morocco Moulay Abdelmonaim El Hidan Oulaid Touloun 1,2 & Ali Boumezzough 1 1 Laboratoire « Ecologie & Environnement », Unite associee CNRST-URAC 32, Departement de Biologie, Faculte des Sciences Semlalia, BP 2390, Universite Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech 40000, Maroc (E-mail address: elhidan@gmail.com; aboumezzough@gmail.com) 2 Laboratoire Polyvalent en Recherche & Developpement LPYRD, Departement de Biologie, Faculte Polydisciplinaire, Universite Sultan Moulay Slimane, Beni Mellal 23030, Maroc (E-mail address: o_touloun@yahoo.fr) Abstract Oases form a unique ecosystem, characterized by its specialization precisely due to the effect of isolation and richness. We studied scorpion communities of south eastern Morocco at five oases. Sampling of scorpions was based on hand collecting, during the day and at night with ultraviolet light detection; 246 individuals of six species of family Buthidae were collected. The richest site contained 5 species and had the highest diversity, H’= 1.57. The lowest diversity was H’= 0.85. The most similar communities were Tagounit and M’hamid elghizlane (100%). The scorpion community at Boumalne was the most dissimilar to the other four sites. Hottentotta gentili was the most abundant species, comprising 36.58% of the material collected, while Buthus boumalenii was the rarest. Most species within the collection of individuals had a greater affinity for rocky - earthy habitats (66.67%). In terms of seasonal pattern, scorpion abundance was highest during spring and summer seasons. Our results indicate that species composition differ between the northern oases (Boumalne) and the four southern oases. Keywords: Scorpions, Buthidae, species richness, diversity, oases, Morocco. Introduction Morocco with its privileged geographical position, its wide geomorphological variety, and very characteristic climates, has the richest scorpion fauna in North Africa. Touloun et al. (2012) have indicated that the Moroccan scorpion fauna is known to be the richest and most diversified, not only in North Africa but also in the entire Mediterranean circumference. Indeed more than 40 species, belonging to 11 genera and two families ( Buthidae and Scorpionidae) are described from the country. 7 Tata • Bouitialui . Zagora y • layoimil ^l'tiauiid rlglii/Uiir Fig. 1. Location of five oases in south eastern Morocco, surveyed for scorpions. Oases in Morocco cover an area of about 44,000 ha. located in an arid and hostile environment. Oases form a unique ecosystem, characterized by its specialization precisely due to the effect of isolation and richness. Such environments are good shelters for animal communities in general and in particular for scorpion species. Scorpions reach their greatest diversity in temperate deserts. Hotspots of scorpion species richness at continental or regional scales are associated with areas of climatic, topographic, and geological complexity (Prendini, 2005). At local scales, scorpion assemblages are structured by temperature, precipitation, substrate (soil hardness and texture; amount of stone or litter cover), and vegetation physiognomy (Prendini, 2001, 2005; Druce et al ., 2007). Different substrates exert different selection pressures on scorpions, resulting in the evolution of ecomorphotypes varying from range-restricted stenotopic substrate specialists to more widespread eurytopic substrate generalists (Prendini, 2001). Scorpions are ecologically important in arid habitats and have the potential to strongly affect community dynamics and structure, especially among arthropods (Polis, 1990, 1993; Polis & Yamashita, 1991). Though, to assess this, scientists need data about basic population- and community-level for scorpion assemblages (Brown et al ., 2002). In fact, there is little data on population level characteristics, such as density or standing biomass of most arid zone species. Besides, much of the available data on community- level attributes are even less common and come from a limited number of studies (Bradley, 1986; Bradley & Brody, 1984; Gertsch & Allred, 1965; Jimenez- Jimenez & Palacios-Cardiel, 2010), mostly conducted in North America. Thus there is no such study on the north- African scorpion-fauna. This study is the first intensive survey about the diversity of scorpions in the southern Moroccan oases. Five sites were chosen as a sample of the arid Moroccan oases, 2 as they are characterized by their markedly contrasting habitats, climatic conditions, marked diversity, and endemism; besides, their flora and fauna serve as indicators of the conservation status of the habitat. The main objective of this study was to describe the current status of these zones by characterizing composition, richness, and diversity of its scorpions as possible indicators of conservation of these habitats. Material and Methods Study site Five oases were selected; Boumalne (31°22'26"N, 05°59'44"W), Zagora (30°19'50"N, 05°50 r 17"W), M’hamid el ghizlane (29°43'58"N, 05°57'25"W), Tagounit (29°58'33"N, 05°35'07”W), and Tata (29°44'34"N, 07°58'2rW), located in the region southeast of Morocco. In these places, climate ranges from BWh to BSk (Koppen classification), with low and irregular rainfall in time and space. The average annual rainfall is very low and varies between 64 mm in Zagora and 154 in Boumalne (Fig. 1). Field work Sampling was done by using Random and Stratified scheme; briefly the sampling plan adopted was structured according to the knowledge and data acquired during a series of extensive exploration missions. These preliminary assignments were to define the most representative sites to be sampled. In all, 2 different quadrates (100x100 m) were randomly selected in every oasis. Each quadrate was sampled on 4 occasions, during the period stretching between May and August of the year 2012 for the estimation of diversity and microhabitat preferences of scorpion species. Sampling of scorpions was based on actively searching potential scorpion microhabitats and suspected shelters (under rocks, pieces of wood, etc.), during the day and at night with ultraviolet light detection, the method of choice for collecting the greatest diversity and abundance of scorpions in a range of habitats (Sissom et al . , 1990). In order to assess the seasonality pattern of scorpion fauna in the Moroccan oases we have conducted another survey from June 2012 to June 2013. For this survey, 8 transects (100x100 m) were randomly chosen in two oases, Zagora and Tagounit. Sampling was done bi-monthly. Data analysis The ten quadrates per site were pooled for subsequent analysis. For each site, relative abundance (RA) was estimated as the relative proportion of the collection contributed to the total collection, as RA = (ni (100) / N), where n* is the number of specimens collected at each site and N is the total of specimens collected at all sites. Species richness (SR) was calculated as the number of scorpion species at each site. Similarities between communities were calculated by the Jaccard coefficient: Cs = C/(Si S 2 - C), where Si and S 2 are the number of species of communities 1 and 2, and C is the number of species in both communities. Diversity of scorpion species was calculated with the Shannon Index (FF) as well as evenness E = H’/log N (Krebs, 1978). The specimens are deposited in the collection of Ecology and Environment laboratory (L2E). Results A total of 246 scorpions from 6 species, 4 genera and 1 family were collected over the period of survey (Table 1). Hottentotta gentili (Pallary, 1924) was the most abundant species, comprising 36.58% of the material collected, while Buthus boumalenii Touloun 3 & Boumezzough, 2011 was the rarest. The most commonly found species were: H. gentili and Androctonus amoreuxi (Audouin, 1825) (observed in all sites), followed by Androctonus liouvillei (Pallary, 1924) (observed in 4 sites) (Table 1). Tagounit and M’hamid elghizlane were the richest sites (5 species) and Zagora was the most abundant (27% of all specimens). Boumalne had the fewest (3 species), as well as being the least abundant (14% of all specimens). Table 1. Census of scorpions at five oases in five south eastern Moroccan oases. Species Boumalne Zagora Tagounit M’hamid el ghizlane Tata Total Sd Sd-Rck Ear Rck-Ear Sd Sd-Rck _ Rck-Ear Ear Sd Sd-Rck „ Rck-Ear Ear Sd Sd-Rck Ear Rck-Ear Sd-Rck Ear Androctonus liouvillei 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 10 0 0 0 8 0 0 1 9 0 0 0 4 34 Androctonus amoreuxi 2 0 0 0 10 4 0 0 7 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 6 0 0 37 Buthus draa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0 0 7 4 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 0 35 Buthus boumalenii 0 0 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 Hottentotta gentili 0 0 0 12 0 0 20 6 0 0 12 6 0 0 13 4 0 0 12 5 90 Orthochirus innesi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 11 0 30 Total 2 0 0 32 10 4 22 31 7 2 31 18 4 0 27 16 2 6 23 9 246 Sd = sandy soil, Sd-Rck = sandy-rocky soil, Ear = earthy soil, Rck-Ear = rocky-earthy soil. Species diversity was highest at Tagounit (H’ = 1.57) and evenness (E = 0.97), followed by M’hamid elghizlane (EE = 1.51). The lowest diversity was observed again, in Boumalne (H’ = 0.85, E = 0.77). The most similar communities were Tagounit and M’hamid elghizlane (100%). The scorpion community at Boumalne was the most dissimilar to the other four sites (Table 2). Table 2. Ecological indices of scorpions at five oases in the south eastern Moroccan oases. Cs SR (n) RA H' E Locality Zagora Tagounit M’hamid el ghizlane Tata Boumalne Zagora 0,8 0,8 0,6 0,4 4 26,3 1,34 0,96 Tagounit 1 0,8 0,33 5 22,9 1,57 0,97 M’hamid el ghizlane 0,8 0,33 5 18,2 1,51 0,94 Tata 0,33 4 16,9 1,27 0,92 Boumalne 3 14,4 0,85 0,77 Cs = similarity, SR = species richness, RA = relative abundance (%), H’ = species diversity, E = species evenness. Among the four microhabitats studied, most species within the collection of individuals had a greater affinity for rocky-earthy habitats (66.67%). The exceptions were A. amoreuxi , and Orthochirus innesi Simon, 1910, which were more abundant in the sandy and earthy habitats respectively (Table 1). Besides, scorpion species can be classified according to the type of habitat; A. amoreuxi was restricted to sandy and sandy- rocky areas, it is a psammophilous and semi-psammophilous species. O. innesi was limited to areas with loamy, clayey soils, it is a pelophilous species. B. boumalenii is a lapidicolous species; it was found to occupy areas with rocky cover in Boumalne oasis. A. liouvillei , H. gentili , and Buthus draa Lourengo & Slimani, 2004 were more widely distributed across a range of earthy to rocky earthy soils. 4 45 40 a. 20 W 01 15 C3 g 10 0 Spring ■ Tagounit Zagora Summer Fall Winter Fig. 2. Scorpion seasonality in two oases: Zagora and Tagounit. When assessed in terms of seasonal pattern, scorpion abundance was highest during spring (March-May) and summer (June- August) seasons and it was lowest in the winter (December-February) (Fig. 2). Discussion Morocco has around 54 species of scorpion fauna of which 19 species are recorded from the eastern side of the country. We recorded a total of six species (11.11% of the total scorpion fauna of Morocco and 31.58% of scorpion fauna in the eastern part of the country) in the studied area. Despite the importance of oases areas, due to their isolation and their biodiversity value (e.g. endemism), there are few studies on scorpion communities in these types of habitats. Our data show that the overall Shannon index is very low indicating low species diversity in the surveyed oases. This may be partly attributed to the restricted movement of scorpion, cannibalism, predation from nocturnal predators (Pande et al . , 2004), habitat specificity, food size specificity, extreme climate adaptability, and adaptive radiation (Polis, 1990). These factors together with a longer life span of most of the arachnid species as compared with many other invertebrates, may act as the limiting factors as far as the species diversity is concerned (Pande et al . , 2012). Comparing community composition of scorpions in the five oases, we find certain differences in richness. Indeed, Tagounit and M’hamid elghizlane were the richest sites with five species followed by Zagora and Tata with 4 species and in the last position, Boumalne with 3 species. The richness difference among Boumalne and the other four sites could be explained by the difference in altitude. Boumalne, in fact, is located in high altitude (1500m), while the other oases are located in mid-altitude (500-700m). Actually many authors had reported that species richness decreases with altitude (Prendini & Bird, 2008; Munyai & Foord, 2012). Nevertheless this difference may be related to other ecological factors. Several data had shown that scorpion species richness at continental or regional scales is associated with areas of climatic and geological complexity (Prendini, 2005). When we compare the overall percent abundance, H. gentili (36.58%) appears to be the most dominant species whereas B. boumalenii (8.13%) is the rarest one, while other species have a close abundance ranging between (12.20 and 15%). Relative abundance of B. boumalenii could be explained by its restricted localization at Boumalne oasis; hence this species appears to be more habitat specific. 5 Previously, scorpions were considered opportunistic species able to colonize different environments. Currently we realized that most, if not all, species are little plastic and tend to colonize stable and predictable habitats. Species with opportunistic traits are fewer. Species in studied area exhibit very different ecological characteristics. Some species are restricted to stable and predictable environment allowing them to devote more energy in biotic exchanges. Other species are plastic and have irregular distribution models. Thus O. innesi , B. boumalenii, and A. amoreuxi are non-opportunistic species because they are not plastic and environmentally show strict respect to the nature of the substratum requirements. Indeed all these species are restricted to one type of substratum; earthy soil for O. innesi , rocky-earthy ground for B. boumalenii, and sandy systems for A. amoreuxi. The importance of the substratum in scorpion ecology and distribution is well known (Fet et al., 1998; Prendini, 2001). Lamoral (1979) established that the distribution of Opistophthalmus in southern Africa is determined primarily by soil hardness and, to a lesser degree, by soil texture, each species being restricted to soils within a certain range of hardness, rather than to a particular soil type. Lamoral (1978) concluded that “the nature of the substratum, taken in its broadest possible definition, is probably the most important single factor that has and still determines the distribution of scorpions”. However, H. gentili and A. liouvillei are sufficiently plastic species. They can colonize disturbed environments widely modified by human activities and even penetrate into dwellings. Prendini (2001) had reported that Lapidicolous scorpions, which shelter under stones or any other available cover, are habitat generalists, displaying few eco- morphological adaptations and varied, often widespread distributions. Community similarity indicates that scorpions in Boumalne oasis have a unique complement of species. All other sites show 50% or more similarity with each other indicating more species overlap. These results suggest that we can distinguish two scorpion communities; the first in the northern part of the studied area including Boumalne, and the second located in the south area composed of Zagora, Tagounit, IVPhamid elghizlane, and Tata. To assess the variability in abundance through the season, we conducted a bi- monthly survey in two oases Zagora and Tagounit. Results show a similar seasonality pattern in these two sites, with a high abundance of scorpion-fauna in spring and summer. This could be explained by the proliferation of prey during these months of the year. Jimenez- Jimenez & Palacios-Cardiel (2010) reported that dramatic annual fluctuations of scorpion populations appear to be primarily linked to fluctuations in its food base. Conclusion There are several studies undertaken on systematic and description of new species in Morocco. However this is the first work on diversity, distribution and abundance estimates for scorpion communities from the south-eastern oases of Morocco. Because of the ecological importance of scorpions in arid environments (Polis, 1990), our study provides a baseline of biological data for further demographic and broader ecological studies on these arachnid taxa. References Bradley, R.A. 1986. The relationship between population density of Paruroctonus utahensis (Scorpionida: Vaejovidae) and characteristics of its habitat. J. Arid Environ., 11: 165-171. Bradley, R.A. & Brody, A.J. 1984. Relative abundance of three vaejovid scorpions across a habitat gradient. J. Arachnol., 11(3): 437^140. 6 Brown, C.A., Davis, J.M., O’Connell, D.J. & Formanowiz, D.R.Jr. 2002. Surface density and nocturnal activity in a west Texas assemblage of scorpions. Southwest Nat., 47: 409-419. Druce, D., Hamer, M. & Slotow, R. 2007. Patterns of millipede (Diplopoda), centipede (Chilopoda) and scorpion (Scorpionida) diversity in savanna habitats within the Greater Makalali Conservancy, South Africa. Afr. Zool., 42: 204-215. Fet, V., Polis, G.A. & Sissom, W.D. 1998. Life in sandy deserts: The scorpion model. J. Arid Environ., 39: 609-622. Gertsch, W.J. & Allred, D.M. 1965. Scorpions of the Nevada Test Site. Brigham Young Univ. Sci. Bull. Biol. Ser., 6: 1-15. Jimenez-Jimenez, M.L. & Palacios-Cardiel, C. 2010. Scorpions of desert oases in the southern Baja California Peninsula. J. Arid Environ., 74: 70-74. Krebs, C.J. 1978. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance. Harper and Row, New York. Lamoral, B.H. 1978. The scorpions of South West Africa. Ph.D. thesis, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg . Lamoral, B.H. 1979. The scorpions of Namibia (Arachnida: Scorpionida). Ann. Natal Mus., 23: 497-784. Munyai, T.C. & Foord, S.H. 2012. Ants on a mountain: spatial, environmental and habitat associations along an altitudinal transect in a centre of endemism. Journal of Insect Conservation, 16: 677-695. Pande, S., Bastawade, D.B., Padhye, A. & Pawase, A. 2012. Diversity of scorpion fauna of Saswad-Jejuri, Pune district, Maharashtra, Western India. JoTT, 4: 2381-2389. Pande, S., Pawashe, A., Sant, N. & Mahabal, A. 2004. Status, habitat preference and population estimates of non-breeding shrikes Lanius spp. in Maharashtra and Karnataka states, India. Biological Letters, 41(2): 65-69. Polis, G.A. 1990. Ecology. Pp. 247-293. In: The Biology of Scorpions. (G.A. Polis, ed.). Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. Polis, G.A. 1993. Scorpions as model vehicles to advance theories of population and community ecology: the role of scorpions in desert communities. Mem. Queensl. Mus., 33: 401 — 410. Polis, G.A. & Yamashita, T. 1991. The ecology and importance of predaceous arthropods in desert communities. In: Polis, G.A. (ed.) The ecology of desert communities. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 180-222. Prendini, L. 2001. Substratum specialization and speciation in southern African scorpions: The Effect Hypothesis revisited. Pp. 113-138. In: Scorpions 2001. In Memoriam Gary A. Polls (V. Fet & P.A. Selden eds.). British Arachnological Society, Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, UK. Prendini, L. 2005. Scorpion diversity and distribution in southern Africa: Pattern and process. In: Huber, B.A., Sinclair, B.J. & Lampe, K.-H. (Eds.). African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems. Proceedings of the 5th International Symposium on Tropical Biology, Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn. Springer Verlag, New York: pp. 25-68. Prendini, L. & Bird. T.L. 2008. Scorpions of the Brandberg Massif, Namibia: Species richness inversely correlated with altitude. African Invertebrates, 49: 77-107. Sissom, W.D., Polis, G.A. & Watt, D.D. 1990. Field and laboratory methods. In: Polis GA (ed) The biology of scorpions. Stanford University Press, Stanford, pp. 445^46 1 . Touloun, O., Boumezzough, A. & Slimani, T. 2012. Scorpion envenomation in the region of Marrakesh Tensift Alhaouz (Morocco): epidemiological characterization and therapeutic approaches. Serket, 13(1/2): 38-50. 7 Serket (2016) vol. 15(1): 8-29. The spider fauna of Hasan Mountain in Turkey Hakki Onur Kogyigit, Hakan Demir & Osman Seyyar Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Nigde University, TR-51100 Nigde, Turkey Corresponding author e-mail address: ozyptila@gmail.com Abstract Spider specimens were collected, during field studies, from Hasan Mountain in the provinces of Nigde and Aksaray of Turkey between July 2013 and June 2014. A total of 2418 adult specimens were studied, 115 spider species belonging to 72 genera under 23 families were identified. The collected dictynid species Lathys stigmatisata (Menge, 1869) is a new record for the Turkish spider fauna. Keywords: Spiders, Araneae, Fauna, Hasan Mountain, Turkey. Introduction Araneae is one of the most abundant orders in the world, consisting of about 45,900 species belonging to 114 families (World Spider Catalog, 2016). So far, 53 families, 330 genera and 1017 species of Araneae have been recorded from Turkey (Topgu et al . , 2005; Demir, 2012; Demir et al . , 2014, 2015; Bayram et al . , 2016). The aim of this study is to determine the areneofauna of Hasan Mountain (Nigde- Aksaray) of Turkey. Material and Methods Spider specimens were collected from the study area between July 2013 and June 2014 in Hasan Mountain (Nigde- Aksaray provinces) of Turkey. The specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol. The identification was made by means of a SZX61 Olympus stereo-microscope. Examined specimens were deposited in the NUAM (Arachnology Museum of Nigde University, Nigde, Turkey). World distribution of all species follows the World Spider Catalog (2016). This paper includes data extracted from the M.Sc. thesis of the first author. Results A total of 2418 adult specimens were collected. They belong to 1 15 spider species of 72 genera under 23 families. The collected dictynid species Lathys stigmatisata (Menge, 1869) is a new record for the Turkish spider fauna. A complete list of studied taxa with localities and dates of collecting is: Family Agelenidae Agelena Walckenaer, 1805 Agelena orientalis C.L.Koch, 1837 Material examined: Karakapt 1 (38°03'82"N, 34°09'53"E), 1450m, 23.VII.2013 (3c?), 07.VI.2014 (1$). Akfakent 1 (38°05'37"N, 34°05'72"E), 1485m, 23.VII.2013 (lc?), 07.VI.2014 (2$). Karacaoren 1 (38°07’98"N, 34°04’63"E), 1300m, 23.VII.2013 (2 34°10'17"E), 1604m, 28.VIII.2013 ( 2 9 1$), 07.VI.2014 (3c? 2$). Ke?ikalesi 2 (38°05’61"N, 34°08’29"E), 1750m, 23.VII.2013 (19 19), 28.VIII.2013 (2(9). Ke?ikalesi-Ak?akent (38°04'51"N, 34°06'73"E), 1724m, 23.VII.2013 (2<9 29), 28.VIII.2013 (19), 01.XII.2013 (1(9 29), 07.VI.2014 (39). Ak?akent 3 (38°06'86"N, 34°06'55"E), 1630m, 23.VII.2013 (2(9 19), 28.VIII.2013 (19 19), 01.XII.2013 (3(9), 07.VI.2014 (29). World Distribution: Greece, Turkey, Israel, Syria. Drassodes lapidosus (Walckenaer, 1802) Material ex a mined: Karakapi 2 (38°04'48”N, 34°10'17"E), 1604m, 23.VII.2013 (2(9 39), 01.XII.2013 (1(9 19), 19.IV.2014 (4(9 39), 10.V.2014 (59 49), 07.VI.2014 (39 29). Hasan Mountain 1 (38°06’08"N, 34°09'20"E), 2204m, 23.VII.2013 (39), 28.VIII.2013 (29 39), 01.XII.2013 (39 39), 19.IV.2014 (29 1 9), 10.V.2014 (49 2 9), 07.VI.2014 (39 49). Karakapi 4 (38°05'55"N, 34°09'86"E), 1950m, 23.VII.2013 (29 29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 39), 19.IV.2014 (19), 10.V.2014 (19 3 9), 07.VI.2014 (39 49). Kefikalesi 2 (38°05’61"N, 34°08'29"E), 1750m, 23.VII.2013 (29 19), 28.VIII.2013 (19), 01.XII.2013 (39 19), 19.IV.2014 (39), 10.V.2014 (39 2 9), 07.VI.2014 (49 2 9). Ke?ikalesi-Akeakent (38°04’51"N, 34°06'73"E), 1724m, 23.VII.2013 (39), 28.VIII.2013 (29), 01.XII.2013 (29 39), 19.IV.2014 (39 2 9), 10.V.2014 (39 49), 07.VI.2014 (19). Yukari Dikmen village 2 (38°09'50"N, 34°07'33"E), 1770m, 23.VII.2013 (19 19), 28.VIII.2013 (39 59), 01.XII.2013 (49 2 9), 19.IV.2014 (29 29), 10.V.2014 (39 1 9), 07.VI.2014 (29 49). Gozlukuyu 2 (38°10'86"N, 34°07’39"E), 1610m, 23.VII.2013 (39 29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 39), 01.XII.2013 (19 19), 19.IV.2014 (49), 10.V.2014 (19 2 9), 07.VI.2014 (39 1 9). Helvadere 2 (38°10'07"N, 34°11'54"E), 1642m, 23.VII.2013 (29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 29), 01.XII.2013 (29 2 9), 19.IV.2014 (19), 10.V.2014 (29 39), 07.VI.2014 (39 2 9). Hasan Mountain 2 (38°09’05"N, 34°10'50"E), 1859m, 23.VII.2013 (19 29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 39), 01.XII.2013 (19), 19.IV.2014 (29 19), 10.V.2014 (39 29), 07.VI.2014 (29 29). Hasan Mountain 3 (38°09T6"N, 34°09’49"E), 2050m, 23.VII.2013 (29 4 9 ), 01.XII.2013 (19 3 9 ), d)19.IV.2014 (29 2 9 ), 10.V.2014 (19 19), 07.VI.2014 (39 1 9 ). Helvadere Dogu (38°10’34"N, 34°10'53"E), 1650m, 23.VII.2013 (19), 28.VIII.2013 (29 1 9 ), 01.XII.2013 (29 2 9 ), 19.IV.2014 (39 29), 10.V.2014 (49 39), 07.VI.2014 (19 19). Hel vadere-Y enipinar (38°10'76"N, 34°13'94"E), 1660m, 23.VII.2013 (29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 59), 01.XII.2013 (39), 19.IV.2014 (49), 10.V.2014 (29 1 9 ), 07.VI.2014 (39 49). Yenipinar Kuzey (38°09'44"N, 34°13'83"E), 1806m, 23.VII.2013 (29 2 9 ), 28.VIII.2013 (29 39), 01.XII.2013 (39 39), 19.IV.2014 (29 49), 10. V. 2014 (19 19), 07.VI.2014 (59 49). Kiifuk Hasan Mountain 1 (38°08’23"N, 34°14'15"E), 1868m, 23.VII.2013 (39 29), 28.VIII.2013 (39 39), 01.XII.2013 (29 29), 19.IV.2014 (29 4 9 ), 10.V.2014 (49), 07.VI.2014 (19 19). Kii?uk Hasan Mountain 2 (38°08'13"N, 34°14'49”E), 2089 m, 23.VII.2013 (39), 28.VIII.2013 (19 29), 01.XII.2013 (39 29), 19.IV.2014 (39 49), 10.V.2014 (39 1 9 ), 07.VI.2014 (49 29). Hasan Mountain 4 (38°09'88"N, 34°11'42"E), 2138m, 23.VII.2013 (29), 28.VIII.2013 (29), 01.XII.2013 (49), 19.IV.2014 (19), 10.V.2014 (29 29), 07.VI.2014 (39 49). World Distribution: Palaearctic. Drassodes lutescens (C.L. Koch, 1839) Material examined: Akeakent 1 (38°05'37"N, 34 o 05'72"E), 1485m, 01.XII.2013 (19), 19.IV.2014 (39 19), 10.V.2014 (29). Akeakent 3 (38°06'86"N, 34°06'55"E), 1630m, 01.XII.2013 (39 29), 19.IV.2014 (29 1 9). World Distribution: Mediterranean to Pakistan. 13 Drassodes pubescens (Thorell, 1856) Material examined: Dikmen-GozlUkuyu (38°09'67"N, 34°07'40"E), 1587m, 23.VII.2013 (1$), 10.V.2014 (2$), 07.VI.2014 (2$). Helvadere Dogu (38°10'34"N, 34°10'53"E), 1650m, 19.IV.2014 (2?), 10.V.2014 (1$), 07.VI.2014 (2$). World Distribution: Palaearctic. Drassyllus Chamberlin, 1922 Drassyllus crimeaensis Kovblyuk, 2003 Material examined: Akgakent 3 (38°06'86"N, 34°06'55"E), 1630m, 23.VII.2013 (1$), 07.VI.2014 (1$). World Distribution: Macedonia, Greece, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Azerbaijan. Drassyllus praeficus (L. Koch, 1866) Material examined: Ak^akent 3 (38°06'86"N, 34°06’55"E), 1630m, 23.VII.2013 (2c? 2$), 07.VI.2014 (lc?). Karacaoren 3 (38°07'47"N, 34°06'30"E), 1680m, 28.VIII.2013 (lc?), 07.VI.2014 (2c? 1$). Yukan Dikmen village 1 (38°08'38"N, 34°06'28"E), 1600m, 23.VII.2013 (3c? 29). Dikmen-Gozlukuyu (38°09'67"N, 34°07'40"E), 1587m, 23.VII.2013 (2c? 29), 10.V.2014 (29), 07.VI.2014 (1 4 5 Figs. 1-5. Male of Orchestina truncatula Tong & Li, 2011. 1. Habitus. 2. Eyes. 3. Sternum, maxillae and labium. 4-5. Palp, retrolateral view. Description of male (Fig. 1): Quite small spider, yellow, with pale yellowish legs and abdomen light brownish. Total Length: 1.31; Carapace L 0.60, W 0.47; Abdomen L 0.61, W 0.46. Cephalo thorax: Carapace yellow, glabrous and oval, with a black to dark brown faint striations creating a mesh pattern. Eyes (Fig. 2): six, compactly arranged, pearly white in alcohol, eyes encircled by black colour. Clypeus quite high, without modified margins. 61 Sternum nearly shield- shaped, furnished with spotty surface of brown colour, absence of sinuous sides, anteriorly nearly straight while posteriorly ending beyond coxae IV (Fig. 3). Scattered, converging long hairs present. Chelicerae well developed, without cheliceral furrow, without teeth, provided with a row of long converging hairs on dorso- apical region and a small apophysis on dorso-basal region. Maxillae elongated, nearly parallel, depressed in middle, serrula absent, with scattered black hairs. Labium longer than wide, roughly triangular, appears to be fused with the sternum (Fig. 3). Legs pale yellowish, femur IV quite broadened and swollen (marked with arrow in Fig. 1). Femur of all other legs I-III normal. Tarsi with 2 claws, distinct onychium, and without scopulae. Leg measurements (Table 1). Leg formula: IY-I-II-III. Table 1. Measurements of the legs of Orchestina truncatula Tong & Li, 2011 S- Leg Femur Patella Tibia Metatarsus Tarsus Total I 0.41 0.12 0.42 0.46 0.23 1.64 II 0.40 0.11 0.43 0.44 0.24 1.62 III 0.33 0.10 0.29 0.28 0.24 1.24 IV 0.62 0.12 0.34 0.36 0.26 1.70 Abdomen slightly longer than wide, dorsum decorated with brown lines forming a net or mesh of lines. Other modifications absent. Venter, comparatively lighter in shade. Spinnerets small, compact and without any modifications, anterior and posterior spinnerets similar in length while median spinnerets comparatively smaller. Palp is quite simple; bulb is elongated with sharp and slightly wavy embolus. Tibia is short and femur is quite broad almost double in length and width. Seminal duct quite coiled and is visible inside the bulb (Figs. 4-5). References Keswani, S., Hadole, P. & Rajoria, A. 2012. Checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from India-2012. Indian journal Arachnology, 1(1): 1-129. Tong, Y.F. 2013. Haplogynae Spiders from Hainan, China. Ke xue chu ban she, Beijing, vi+96 pp., 81 pi. Tong, Y.F. & Li, S.Q. 2011. Six new Orchestina species from Hainan Island, China (Araneae, Oonopidae). Zootaxa, 3061: 36-52. World Spider Catalog 2016. World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 17.0, accessed on {30 April 2016} 62 Serket (2016) vol. 15(1): 63-67. The first record of Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard- Cambridge, 1879) and genus Ostearius Hull, 1911 (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Egypt Hisham K. El-Hennawy , Mohammad A. Mohafez 2 , Amr A. El-Gendy 2 & Ibrahim A. I. Zaher 2 1 41 El-Manteqa El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt 2 Department of Agricultural Zoology and Nematology, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Corresponding e-mail address: el_hennawy@hotmail.com Abstract Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) and genus Ostearius Hull, 1911 of family Linyphiidae are recorded from Egypt for the first time. Keywords: Spiders, Linyphiidae, Ostearius melanopygius , Menoufiya, Beheira, Egypt. Introduction Family Linyphiidae Blackwall, 1859 is the second greatest spider family (4535 species of 601 genera) after Salticidae (5862 species of 595 genera). Genus Ostearius Hull, 1911 includes only 2 species, i.e. the cosmopolitan species Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) and Ostearius muticus Gao, Gao & Zhu, 1994 from China (World spider Catalog, 2016). Ostearius melanopygius was described for the first time as Linyphia melanopygia from New Zealand by Pickard-Cambridge (1879) depending on a single adult male (Fig. 1). A synonym of this species was later described as Tmeticus nigricauda from Britain by Pickard-Cambridge (1907) depending on both sexes. Hull (1911) established genus Ostearius to include Tmeticus nigricauda. Later, O. melanopygius was recorded from several countries. During the last ten years, it was recorded for the first time from Algeria and Tunisia (Bosmans, 2007), Turkey (Bayram et al ., 2007), and Finland (Pajunen et al ., 2008). In Egypt, linyphiid spiders are poorly studied. El-Hennawy (2006) recorded only 8 species of 8 genera of this family. This new record adds a genus and a species to the spider fauna of Egypt. Fig. 1. Drawings of the first specimen of Ostearius melanopygius described by Pickard-Cambridge (1879: Plate LIII, fig. 13). In this work, several specimens of O. melanopygius were collected, by hand, by the last two authors during their studies on the spiders of Mango orchards and other cultivations in El-Sadat City, Menoufiya Governorate (AE) and from Banana and Mango orchards in Badr district, EL-Beheira Governorate, north-west of Cairo (IZ). The identification of O. melanopygius depended on the descriptions and drawings of Pickard-Cambridge (1879, 1907), Roberts (1987), Millidge (1988), Ono et al. (2009), and Oger (2016). Abbreviations used: AL = Abdomen length, CL = cephalothorax length; CW = cephalothorax width; TL = total length. All measurements were taken in millimetres. Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) (Figs. 1-10) Synonyms, taxonomic references, and distribution: see World spider Catalog (2016). Material examined: 4(j4$. Egypt, Menoufiya, El-Sadat City (30°20'57.20"N, 30 o 3r44.88’'E, elevation 49m), Mango orchard, 2$, 8.2.2014, leg. A. El-Gendy; Egypt, EL-Beheira, Badr district (30°36'45"N, 30°37'34"E, elevation 22m), Banana orchard, 3c? 1$, 28.12.2013, Mango orchard, lc?l$, 2.1.2014, leg. I. Zaher. Description. See: Pickard-Cambridge (1879, 1907), Roberts (1987), and Millidge (1988). Habitus, male (Fig. 3) and female (Figs. 2, 7-8). Male pedipalp. Figs. (4-6). Female epigynum. Figs. (9-10). Measurements. Male: TL 1.86, CL 0.96, CW 0.78, CL/CW 1.23, AL 0.9. Female: TL 2.62, CL 1.06, CW 0.86, CL/CW 1.23, AL 1.56. The most characteristic features of O. melanopygius are: It "has a highly characteristic general appearance, the abdomen being reddish with its posterior tip black" (Roberts, 1987). Male distinguished by the unique, bifid form of the retrolateral tibial apophysis and the long, gently curved, rigid embolus. Female distinguished by the presence of a median septum connecting the dorsal plate to the ventral plate (Miller, 2007). 64 4 5 6 Figs. 2-6. Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) 2-3. Habitus, dorsal view. 2. Female. 3. Male. 4-6. Male pedipalp. 4. retrolateral view. 5. ventral view. 6. prolateral view. Distribution. This species is cosmopolitan with a world-wide distribution (World spider Catalog, 2016). Its distribution was discussed by Holm (1962), Denis (1963), and Helsdingen (1977). It was recorded from the following countries: Europe (England, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Czech, Slovakia, Sweden, Finland). Iceland. Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands), St. Helena. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia. East Africa (Kenya), Angola. Turkey, China, Korea, Japan. Australia, New Zealand, St. Paul Island, Amsterdam Island, Bass Island (one of the Tubuai Islands, French Polynesia). Canada, USA, Hawaii. South America (Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego). Acknowledgments Authors are grateful to Prof. Dr. A.M. Metwally and Dr. M.A.M. El-Danasory (Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Azhar University, Cairo) who encouraged and supported this study. 65 Figs. 7-10. Ostearius melanopygius (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1879) $. 7-8. Habitus. 7. dorsal view. 8. ventral view. 9-10. Abdomen, ventral view showing epigynum (2 different females). References Bayram, A., Dani§man, T., Yigit, N., £orak, I. & Sancak, Z. 2007. Three linyphiid species new to the Turkish araneo-fauna: Cresmatoneta mutinensis (Canestrini, 1868), Ostearius melanopygius (O.P. -Cambridge, 1879) and Trematocephalus cristatus (Wider, 1834) (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Serket, 10(3): 82-85. Bosmans, R. 2007. Contribution to the knowledge of the Linyphiidae of the Maghreb. Part XII. Miscellaneous erigonine genera and additional records (Araneae: Linyphiidae: Erigoninae). Bulletin & Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique , 143: 117-163. 66 Denis, J. 1963. La distribution geographique d'Ostearius melanvpygius. C. R. Soc. Biogeogr., 352: 71-77, 1 map. (Unseen) El-Hennawy, H.K. 2006. A list of Egyptian spiders (revised in 2006). Serket, 10(2): 65-76. Helsdingen, P.J.van 1977. Fam. Linyphiidae. In: La faune terrestre de file de Saite-Helene IV. Annales, Musee Royal de VAfrique Centrale, Sciences zoologiques (Zool.-Ser. 8°), 220: 168-183. o Holm, A. 1962. The spider fauna of the East African mountains. Part I: Fam. Erigonidae. Zoologiska Bidrag f ran Uppsala, 35: 19-204. Hull, J.E. 1911. Papers on spiders. Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland (N.S.), 3(3): 573-590. Miller, J.A. 2007. Review of erigonine spider genera in the Neotropics (Araneae: Linyphiidae, Erigonina o). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 149(Suppl. 1): 1-263. Millidge, A.F. 1988. The spiders of New Zealand: Part VI. Family Linyphiidae. Otago Museum Bulletin, 6: 35-67. Oger, P. 2016. Les araignees de Belgique et de France. Online at: http://arachno.piwigo.com/index7/category/238-ostearius_melanopygius Ono, H., Matsuda, M. & Saito, H. 2009. Linyphiidae, Pimoidae. In: Ono, H. (ed.) The Spiders of Japan with keys to the families and genera and illustrations of the species. Tokai University Press, Kanagawa, pp. 253-344. Pajunen, T., Terhivuo, J. & Koponen, S. 2008. Contributions to anthropochorous spiders (Araneae) in Finland. Memoranda Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, 84: 110-116. Pickard- Cambridge, O. 1879. On some new and rare spiders from New Zealand, with characters of four new genera. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1879: 681-703. Pickard-Cambridge, O. 1907. On new and rare British Arachnida. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, 28: 121-148. Roberts, M.J. 1987. The spiders of Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 2: Linyphiidae and check list. Harley Books, Colchester, England, 204 pp. World Spider Catalog 2016. World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch, version 17.0, accessed on {30 April 2016} 67 Serket (2016) vol. 15(1): 68-70. A note on Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 (Araneae: Oecobiidae) Hisham K. El-Hennawy 41 El-Manteqa El-Rabia St., Heliopolis, Cairo 11341, Egypt E-mail address: el_hennawy@hotmail.com Abstract This short note on Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 presents photographs of the species in Egypt, discusses its distribution in the world, and states the identification of Oecobius sp. in Murphy & Roberts (2015). Keywords: Spiders, Oecobiidae, Oecobius amboseli , East Africa, Europe. Among the known 84 species and 2 subspecies of genus Oecobius Lucas, 1846 (World spider Catalog, 2016), Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 is greatly synanthropic. Its female was described by Shear & Benoit (1974) from Massai Amboseli Reserve, Kenya. After 30 years, El-Hennawy (2004) described the male and redescribed the female from Cairo, Egypt and recorded it from Uganda, Rubaga, Kampala (material collected by David Penney). Later, Toft & Wunderlich (2012) recorded O. amboseli from Denmark. An abundant population of at least several hundred individuals was discovered in the cellar in Aarhus University, Denmark. They said that: "The synantropic occurrence in all cases except probably the type locality casts doubt in the true origin of the species, so it must so far be assumed to be East African. However the finds in Egypt and now in Denmark indicate that the species is in an initial phase of possibly worldwide spreading by human transport, as has been the case for several other Oecobius species." The second European record was that of IJland (2013) who reported O. amboseli from Leiden, The Netherlands (1$) and from Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (2$) too. Henrard, Van Keer & Jocque (2014) reported O. amboseli for the first time from Belgium (Tervuren, “Palais des Colonies” of the Royal Museum for Central Africa and Duffel) and from Rwanda (Akagera and Kigali). They discussed the distribution of the species in East Africa and in Europe and their published fine illustrations can be seen on the website of Oger (2016) too. Murphy & Roberts (2015) presented, in the Appendix: Genitalia of Part II of their " Spider families of the world and their spinnerets " Fig. 15, 13113, JAM, Kenya, drawings of both male and female genitalia of Oecobius sp. that can be identified as Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974. Kenya is the type locality of O. amboseli. These recent records of O. amboseli in Europe denote that it is "possibly worldwide spreading by human transport" (Toft & Wunderlich, 2012) and that it is synanthropic. The three European records are related to cities that have universities and receive students from different countries, including Africa, and their luggage may transfer egg sacs and/or spiders from their original countries. Among the 9 species of genus Oecobius known from Europe (Nentwig et al . , 2016), 2 of them are cosmopolitan [ O . cellariorum (Duges, 1836) and O. navus Blackwall, 1859], and only O. amboseli that has its unique situation as an "introduced" species that spreads slowly in Europe. Family Oecobiidae Blackwall, 1862 Genus Oecobius Lucas, 1846 Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974: 717, f. 24-25 (D$). Oecobius amboseli El-Hennawy, 2004: 69, f. 1-11 ($, D(J). Oecobius amboseli Toft & Wunderlich, 2012: 248, f. 1-3 (c?$). Oecobius amboseli IJland, 2013: 39, f. 1 (5). Oecobius amboseli Henrard, Van Keer & Jocque, 2014: 5, f. 3, 4A-D, 5A-C, 6A-D (c?$). Oecobius sp. Murphy & Roberts, 2015: 529, f. 15 (c?$). Distribution: Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda; Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium (introduced) (World spider Catalog, 2016). References El-Hennawy, H.K. 2004. Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974, a new record from Egypt (Araneida: Oecobiidae). Serket, 9(2): 68-71. Henrard, A., Van Keer, J. & Jocque, R. 2014. On the spider species Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 (Araneae; Oecobiidae) newly found in Belgium and Rwanda. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging, 29: 1-8. IJland, S. 2013. Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 (Araneae, Oecobiidae) found in the Netherlands and Ethiopia. Spined, Nieuwsbrief Spinnenwerkgroep Nederland, 33: 39-40. Murphy, J.A. & Roberts, M.J. 2015. Spider families of the World and their spinnerets . Part I, pp. i-xi, 1-189 (text + f. 1-7), Part II, pp. 190-555 (PI. 1-327 + f. 8-56). British Arachnological Society, U.K. Nentwig W, Blick T, Gloor D, Hanggi A, Kropf C. 2016. Spiders of Europe. Online at http://www.araneae.unibe.ch/ Version 05.2016 (accessed on March 2016). http://www.araneae.unibe.ch/data/5015/Oecobius_amboseli Oger, P. 2016. Les araignees de Belgique et de France. Online at: http : //arachno .piwigo . com/index?/category/ 1301 -oecobius_amboseli Shear, W.A. & Benoit, P.L.G. 1974. New species and new records in the genus Oecobius Lucas from Africa and nearby islands (Araneae: Oecobiidae: Oecobiinae). Revue Zoologique Africaine, 88: 706-720. 69 Toft, S. & Wunderlich, J. 2012. Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit 1974 (Araneae: Oecobiidae), a recently to Denamrk and Europe introduced species. Beitrage zurAraneologie, 7: 247-250. World Spider Catalog 2016. World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.cl , version 17.0, accessed on {30 April 2016} Figs. 1-5. Oecobius amboseli Shear & Benoit, 1974 [1-4. Cairo, Egypt. 5. Kenya] 1. Female and male habitus, dorsal view. 2. Female epigynum, ventral view. 3-4. Male pedipalp. 3. prolateral view. 4. retrolateral view. 5. Drawings of Murphy & Roberts, 2015: 529, f. 15. a-b. Female epigynum. a. ventral view. b. dorsal view. c-d. Male pedipalp. c. ventral view. d. retrolateral view. 70