Minicia marginella (Araneae: Linyphiidae), a spider new to Britain, from the Channel Tunnel site

In the summer of 1987 a project was initiated to study certain aspects of the environmental impact of tunnelling for the Channel Tunnel. The study areas were situated in East Kent between Dover and Folkestone. At one of the chosen study sites, a male and female of the linyphiid spider Minicia marginella (Wider), hitherto unknown from Britain, were taken in pitfall traps. Both sexes of the species are described and illustrated from the British material.     

Redescription of the spider Haplodrassus caspius Ponomarev & Belosludtsev, 2008, with the first description of the male (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)

Haplodrassus caspius Ponomarev & Belosludtsev, 2008, previously known only from females from northern Ciscaspian, is redescribed on the basis of the types and newly collected material. The male of Haplodrassus caspius is described for the first time. New findings extend the known range of the species southwestward to Azerbaijan.     

Intraspecific interactions of Argyrodes antipodiana,a kleptoparasitic spider from New Zealand

Abstract

Intraspecific interactions (male‐male, female‐female, male‐female) of Argyrodes antipodiana (O.P.‐Cambridge), a New Zealand kleptoparasitic spider, were studied in the laboratory. Interactions, especially male‐female interactions, tended to be complex and of long duration, and included 32 different displays being used in sequences that could last for over 5 h. In male‐female interactions, there were numerous alternations between displaying and copulating, but most courtship followed the initial copulation. The possible adaptive significance of A. antipodiana's complex courtship is discussed. The role of pheromones in the intraspecific interactions of this species is also investigated.     

Calypogeia Meylanii Buch,new to Britain

Abstract

A comparison was made between the rapid fluorescence induction characteristics of bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), vascular plants and a microalga under actinic irradiation. The bryophytes studied showed similar induction characteristics to microalgae, with a fast decline from an initial peak (P) to a quasi-stationary fluorescence yield (S). Dark relaxation characteristics of the bryophytes were also comparable with those of algae, showing a rapid decline in fluorescence to the F_o value when actinic light was switched off. The degree and duration of the P/S decline was related to the intensity of actinic irradiation, although with increasing irradiance the ratio of P/S remained constant for most species. When actinic light was supplied with no prior dark relaxation, the initial peak (P) was suppressed after registration of the first I–P–S cycle, indicating a dependence of the induction characteristics on the oxygen status of the organism. The implication of these observations of oxygen-dependent electron flow in furthering our understanding of bryophyte photosynthetic physiology is discussed.     

Cordylactam,a new alkaloid from the spider pathogenic fungus Cordyceps sp. BCC 12671

Cordylactam (1), a new lactam-fused 4-pyrone was isolated from the spider pathogenic fungus Cordyceps sp. BCC 12671. The structure was elucidated on the basis of NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometry data, which was further confirmed by the spectroscopic analyses of a semisynthetic derivative. This is the first report of a new compound from spider pathogenic Cordyceps species.     

New World primates,new frontiers: Insights from the woolly spider monkey,or muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides)

Despite over 25 years of intensive research, much of our knowledge of primate behavior has been limited to a small number of Old World, semiterrestrial species. With the exception of chimpanzees, these species share consistent patterns of behavior, including aggressive competition between males, male dominance over females, male dispersal and female kin groups, that have come to characterize the Order Primates. However, as research has expanded to include a number of newly studied species, such generalizations about primate behavior are no longer appropriate. Data presented on the wooly spider monkey, or muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), provide examples of the ways in which traditional views of primate behavior are being reconsidered. In muriquis, and in several other New World monkeys, female kin groups do not occur because females disperse from their natal groups. In addition, aggressive competition between males is virtually absent; and, female muriquis appear to be codominant with males. Constraints on sexual dimorphism may help to explain why muriquis (and other New World primates) differ so fundamentally from the better known semi-terrestrial Old World monkeys.Logo of the 1988 International Primatological Society.     

A new ladybird spider from Hungary (Araneae,Eresidae)

According to the most recent taxonomic literature, three species of the genus Eresus are known in Central Europe, Eresus kollari, Eresus sandaliatus and Eresus moravicus. We recognized a fourth distinctive species from Hungary, which is described as Eresus hermani sp. n. Eresus hermani has an early spring copulation period, females have a light grey (grizzled) cephalothorax due to a heavy cover of lightly colored setae, and an epigyne with large flat areas posterior to the epigynal pit, while males are distinguished by a broad and blunt terminal tooth of the conductor. An updated and modified comparative table of Řezáč et al. (2008) to include all four Central European Eresus species, and a simple key to the species group’s species are given. Habitus, epigyne, vulva and conductor of Eresus kollari, Eresus moravicus and Eresus sandaliatus are also illustrated. An annotated list of papers illustrating Eresus hermani due to misidentifications is presented.