A Taxonomic Study of European and East African Species of the Genera Pelecopsis and Trichopterna (Araneae, Linyphiidae), with Descriptions of a New Genus and Two New Species of Pelecopsis from Kenya

On the basis of the results of an analysis primarily of the morphology of the male palps and palpal organs the delimitation of the erigonine genera Pelecopsis Simon and Trichopterna Kulczyński and the phylogenetic relationships between European and East African species of these genera are discussed. For the East African species Pelecopsis convexa (Holm), and P. bacelarae (di Caporiacco), together with two undescribed species from Nigeria, the new genus Locketia is established. Pelecopsis humiliceps sp.n. and P. albifrons sp.n., both from Kenya, are described and P. tenera (Holm, 1962), preocc. P. tenera (Schenkel, 1927), is replaced by P. tenuipalpis nom.n. Viewpoints are presented on evolutionary trends and phylogeny of European and East African Pelecopsis species.     

Revision of Comesomatidae (Nematoda)

The gross and fine morphology of the family Comesomatidae is reviewed and the systematic position of its members revised. Significant differentiating characters of the Comesomatidae within the Chromadorida are: a copulatory apparatus provided with apophyses, a female reproductive system with outstretched ovaries, the presence of marginal tubes within the oesophagus, and a non-sclerotized and enlarged tail tip. For classification within the family the following three main characters are used: the structure of the buccal cavity, the structure of the copulatory apparatus, and the arrangement of the cephalic sense organs. Structure of the Sabatieria type is considered basic. The genera are rearranged in three subfamilies as follows: Sabatieriinae ( Cervonema, Laimelia, Pierrickia, Sabatieria (syn. Actarjania), Scholpaniella ), Dorylaimopsinae (Dorylaimopsis (syn. Mesonchium), Hopperia, Metasabatieria, Paramesonchium, Vasostoma ), Comesomatinae ( Comesoma, Metacomesoma, Paracomesoma. ) Six species of Comesomatidae are described from the øresund, Denmark: Cervonema macramphis sp.n.; Laimelia filipjevi nom. nov. (syn. Sabatieria longicaudata Filipjev, 1922); Sabatieria hilarula De Man, 1922; S. ornata (Ditlevsen, 1918); S. punctata (Kreis, 1924); Dorylaimopsis punctata Ditlevsen, 1918. Representatives of these species constitute more than 40% of the total number of nematodes in the region.