Volker Mahnert

• Dr, PhD
• Managing Director at Muséum d'histoire naturelle Geneva

The South American Republic of Peru is bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and by the Pacific Ocean. Due to its geographical position, Peru belongs to the megadiverse countries. There can be found multi-diverse habitats such as the Pacific coastal region, the tropical Amazon rainforest basin with the Amazon River, and the Andes....

Pseudoscorpions embrace a diverse group of arachnids with approximately 3 500 species that occur in various habitats, such as soil, leaf litter, caves and canopies. This study aimed at evaluating the relationship between the pseudoscorpion assemblages in soil, termite nests, tree trunks and canopies, as well as the temporal distribution as to the a...

An illustrated description of Rhacochelifer disjunctus (L. Koch, 1873) collected in Slovakia is presented. One female was found phoretic on Lepidoptera in a Malaise trap. Another 37 specimens, including both sexes, tritonymphs and a protonymph, collected in the 1950s were deposited in the Natural History Museum in Prague, Czech Republic and identif...

We studied the occurrence of Pseudoscorpiones in the soil, leaf litter, and in canopies of a monodominant forest of Attalea phalerata at different seasons in the northern region of the Brazilian Pantanal. A total of 1197 pseudoscorpions from nine families and 16 species were sampled. Olpiidae, Chernetidae, and Geogarypidae predominated in soil and...

Background In this contribution we present detailed distribution and abundance data for arthropod species identified during the BALA – Biodiversity of Arthropods from the Laurisilva of the Azores (1999-2004) and BALA2 projects (2010-2011) from 18 native forest fragments in seven of the nine Azorean islands (all excluding Graciosa and Corvo islands,...

Appendix 2 - Metadata from Appendix 1

Appendix 5 -Abundance data

Appendix 1 - Detailed data on the distribution and abundance of the studied species

Appendix 3 - Sites UTM coordinates

Appendix 4. Complete list of new records per island.

Four new species of the genus Bisetocreagris are described from China, prov. Guizhou (B.chuanensis n.sp.), Sichuan (N. baozinensis n.sp., B. juanxuae n.sp.) and Chongqing (B. cavernarum n.sp.). The following species are transferred to Bisetocreagris: Parobisium martii Mahnert, P. titanium Mahnert, P. scaurum Mahnert, and Stenohya chinacavernicola S...

Lectotypes are designated for Chelifer brevifemoratus, Chelifer communis, Chelifer crassimanus, Chelifer foliosus, Chelifer germainii, Chelifer robustus, Chelifer (Lamprochernes) cervus, Chelifer (Lamprochernes) ovatus; the species are redescribed and their generic placement is discussed. Gomphochernes depressimanus (With, 1908) and Gomphochernes p...

Four new species of the genus Bisetocreagris Ćurčić are described from caves in the provinces of Guizhou (B. chtianensis n. sp.), Sichuan (B. baozinensis n. sp., B. jiianxtiae n. sp., and Bisetocreagris sp.) and Chongqing (B. cavernarum n. sp.). On the basis of the trichobothrial pattern and the apparent fragility of the galea in this group, the fo...

A new species of Sphaerowithius Mahnert, 1988, S. ansieae sp. n., is described from specimens collected in caves in northern Namibia. The specimens show some slight modifications to an obligate cavernicolous existence including small eyes and long, slender pedipalps.

The geographic and ecological distribution of the arachnid species belonging to the Amblypygi (Charinus insularis Banks, 1902), the Opiliones (Galanomma microphthalma Juberthie, 1970), the Schizomida (Schizomus portoricensis (Chamberlin, 1922)), the Scorpiones (Centruroides exsul (Meise, 1934) and Hadruroides galapagoensis Maury, 1975), the Solifug...

Three new species of the genus Roncus L. Koch, 1873 are described and figured: Roncus gasparoi n.sp. from Corfu (Spilaio Anthropograva), Roncus pieperi n.sp. from Kefalonia (caves Fitidi and Drogarati) and Roncus giachinoi n.sp. from continental Greece, Arkanania (Megalo Spilio).

The small pseudoscorpion family Pseudochiridiidae Chamberlin, 1923 comprises two genera and 12 extant species recorded from Asia (Burma, Christmas Island, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Nicobars and Sumba), eastern, central and southern Africa (Chad, D.R. Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania), Madagascar, Seychelles (Al...

Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). - 25 species in ten families are recorded from 25 islands and islets of the galapagos archipelago. Ten new species are described and figured: Paraliochthonius galapagensis, P. litoralis, P. pecki, P. rupicola (Chthoniidae); Ideoblothrus emigrans, I. galapagensis (sy...

Five species of pseudoscorpions are recorded from the southwestern mountains of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Pseudochthonius arabicus Mahnert n. sp. is described as new to science; this genus was previously known only from sub- Saharan Africa and tropical South America and represents the first record of the family Chthoniidae from the Arabian Penin...

Further records of cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudo-scorpiones) from Santorin (Thera) (Cyclades, Greece).-Additional specimens of Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) schmalfussi schawaller, 1990 (Chthoniidae) and Hadoblothrus aegaeus Beron, 1985 (syarinidae) are recorded from the caves Zoodochos i and ii (type localities) near Kamari. var...

Summary The type specimens of the two pseudoscorpion species described by di Caporiacco (1947) from Guyana (former British Guyana) are studied in detail. Geogarypus incertus di Caporiacco, 1947 is considered a valid species and its type locality is clarified as Guyana, Upper Demerara—Berbice region, upper Demerara valley, near Kurupukari. Paratemnu...

Spelaeobochica iuiu sp. n. is described from Lapa do Baixão limestone cave in the municipality of Iuiu (Bahia, Brazil). It is easily distinguished from the two other species of the genus, S. allodentatus Mahnert 2001 and S. muchmorei Andrade & Mahnert 2003, by its pedipalpal measurements and proportions, but particularly by the presence of tooth-li...

First record of the subfamily Pycnocheiridiinae from South America, with the description of Leptocheiridium pfeiferae gen. n., sp. n. (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones: Cheiridiidae). -The cheiridiid subfamily Pycnocheiridiinae is recorded for the first time from south America, Leptocheiridium gen. n. and its type species pfeiferae sp. n. are described...

Seventy-two named species of Pseudoscorpiones, representing 14 families, are recorded from Argentina, of which Cher-netidae (40 species) and Withiidae (11 species) are the most diverse. Three species are new country records: Parachernes melanopygus, P. plumosus and P. peruanus. The provincial distributions and habitat preferences of the species are...

Pseudoblothrus infernus sp. n. (Pseudoscorpiones, Syarinidae) from the Hölloch cave (Schwyz, Switzerland), with new records of Pseudo -blothrus strinatii Vachon from Switzerland and France. -The new species Pseudoblothrus infernus n. sp. is described from the Hölloch cave in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. It is the third species of this genus r...

New records of pseudoscorpions from the Juan Fernandez Islands (Chile), with the description of a new genus and three new species of Chernetidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones). -The new genus Selacho -chernes gen. n. with the type species S. allodentatus sp. n. ((only) is described from Masatierra. The new genus is characterized by a rallum of 4 set...

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.3 of the Code, is to conserve the widely used pseudoscorpion generic name Neobisium Chamberlin, 1930 by giving it precedence over the genus-group name Blothrus Schiödte, 1847, which is currently used as a subgenus or synonym of Neobisium. The name Neobisium is in widespread use for a group of pseu...

Three new species of the subgenus Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) from Tenerife and Gran Canaria and five new species of the genus Lagynochthonius (Chthonii-dae) are described from the mesovoid shallow substratum (MSS) of Gran Canaria. The presence of four lanceolate setae on the movable chelal finger of Lagynoch-thonius species is a previously unrec...

A compilation of the information on pseudoscorpions recorded from birds' nests is presented. Species and families of birds, and specimens, species and families of pseudoscorpions involved worldwide are given. 14 families (63 genera with 85 species) of Pseudoscorpiones were found in birds' nests, of which the Chernetidae is ranked first, with 22 gen...

New species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae, Chernetidae) from caves in China. - Three new species are described and figured in the genus Tyrannochthonius J.C. Chamberlin (akaelus sp.n., ganshuanensis sp.n., antridraconis sp.n.), two species in the genus Megachernes Beier (glandulosus sp.n., tuberosus sp.n.) and one spe...

Dasychernes inquilinus Chamberlin 1929, the type species of the genus, was described from specimens taken from colonies of the stingless honey bee Melipona salti Schwarz 1932 (Hymenoptera, Apidae). For the first time since its description, we report D. inquilinus from a nest of M. compressipes (Fabricius 1804) and, to document intraspecific variati...

Based on several collections, 19 species of pseudoscorpions belonging to eight families are recorded from the Socotra Archipelago, and 17 species are described as new to science. The new genus Pseudomenthus n. gen. (type species Pseudomenthus spinifer n. sp.) is described in the family Menthidae. The presence of three species of this family on the...

The new genus Xorilbia (Pseudoscorpiones, Ideoroncidae) is established for three species from the Amazon region previously included in the genus Albiorix: the type species X. arboricola (Mahnert), X. gracilis (Mahnert) and X. lamellifer (Mahnert). The new genus bears a peculiar structure on the arolium that is only found in a few other genera of Id...

Nineteen areas in seven of the nine Azorean islands were evaluated for species diversity and rarity based on soil epigean arthropods. Fifteen out of the 19 study areas are managed as Natural Forest Reserves and the remaining four were included due to their importance as indigenous forest cover. Four of the 19 areas are not included in the European...

Link to the publication: http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/medioambiente/piac/descargas/Biodiversidad/documentos-interes/listados-especies/Publicaciones-LESDCanarias-2004.pdf

The new species Parobisium martii sp. n., Parobisium scaurum sp. n., Parobisium titanium sp. n., and Nudochernes lipsae sp. n. are described from caves near the city of Zhen Xiong (Yunnan), and their taxonomic positions are discussed. Parobisium titanium sp. n., with a body length of about 4.5 mm, is the pseudoscorpion species with by far the large...

The new species is described and figured. It differs from the type species Spelaeobochica allodentatus Mahnert, 2001 mainly by its much more slender pedipalps and much bigger size. It occurs in the Areias caves complex, situated in a rainforest region (Ribeira Valley, São Paulo) of Brazil and is considered as troglobitic species (restricted to hypo...

The class Arachnida contains 11 recent orders: Acari, Amblypygi, Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpiones, Ricinulei, Schizomida, Scorpiones, Solifugae and Uropygi (Thelyphonida). In total, >570 families, >9165 genera and >93455 species are known world-wide. More than 136 families, >482 genera and >1547 described species occur in Amazonia....

The new species Paraliochthonius mirus sp. n. (La Palma, Cueva de los Sorprendidos) and Calocheirus tenerifae sp. n. (Tenerife, Cueva Hondo de Güimar) are described and figured. New localities are given for species of several families. The genus Cheiridium (Cheiridiidae) is recorded for the first time from the archipelago. Identifications keys are...

Cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from Brazil. - Pseudoscorpions collected in about 100 caves have been studied and 25 species of seven families identified. Two new genera - Spelaeobochica (Bochicidae) (type species allodentatus sp. n.) and Spelaeochernes (Chernetidae) (type species dentatus sp. n., with 7 other new specie...

Maxchernes iporangae n. sp. is described and figured. It occurs mainly in the Caverna Alambari de Baixo, Iporanga, in guano of fruit-feeding bats. It is compared with the two other known species of the genus, M. birabeni Feio from Argentina and M. plaumanni Beier from Brazil. Some biological observations are given.

Muséum d'histoire naturelle, case postale 6434, CH-12 11 Geneva 6, Switzerland. New species and records of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscor-piones) from the Canary Islands. -The following six new species are described: Chthoniiis (Ephippiochthoniiis) grncilimnniis, Lagynochthonius ciinidigitntus, Tyrannochthonicis setiger (Chthoniidae), Hnlom...

A total of 675 Pseudoscorpiones, representing nine species, were captured during 12 months in an inundation forest near Manaus, which is covered by several meters of mixedwater for 5-7 months each year. In the terrestrial phase, the average abundance of pseudoscorpions in the soil (0-14 depth) was three times higher during the rainy season (140 ind...

The new species is described and figured. It belongs to the fasciatus-group and is characterized by the high number of rather narrow transverse bands, its filiform dorsal and its deeply forked caudal fin with elongated, pointed lobes.

New records of the order Pseudoscorpions are given for the Archipelago of Cabrera. Twelve species are recorded for the first time , three of them are new for the Balearic Islands (Roncus caralitanus, Calocheiridium olivieri and Garypus levantinus) and two are new species (genus Chthonian). At the moment the number of taxa for this Archipelago is 15...

Pseudoscorpions were extracted from 0-14 cm soil depth in two dryland (upland) forests near Manaus, Brazil. In a primary forest on yellow latosol, about 1700 specimens per m2 were obtained during the dry season and 1135 during the rainy season. They accounted for 10-15% of all arthropods extracted, excluding Acari and Collembola. In a primary fores...

Pseudoblothrus oromii from the lava cave Gruta de Beiras (Sao Jorge) and Pseudoblothrus vulcanus from the Gruta das Agulhas (Terceira) are described

Pseudoscorpiones were extracted from 0-14 cm soil depth in a secondary dryland forest at Manaus, Brazil. The 1500 specimens per m2 obtained during the dry season and 1750 during the rainy season accounted for 10-12% of all arthropods extracted, Acari and Collembola disregarded. During the dry season, decreasing abundance of Pseudoscorpiones in grea...

Thirty-two species of the families Withiidae and Cheliferidae are recorded from Kenya. One genus and six species of Withiidae and four species of Cheliferidae are described as new, the withiid genus Pycnowithius and the cheliferid genus Beierius are recorded for the first time from East Africa. The species Allowithius crassus Beier 1935 and A. soma...

Levigatocreagris hamatus n.sp. is described from Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai provine, Thailand. It is the first species of the family to show sexual dimorphism, the male bearing a heavy spine on the ventral surface of the chill hand which is associated with a lateral hump at the base of the movable finger

The new species Tyrannochthonius (Lagynochthonius) guasirih n.sp. from Gua Sirih Cave and Fairy Cave, Sarawak, Eastern Malaysia, is described and figured. It is characterised by the tergal chaetotaxy, the slender pedipalps and its size.

Four species of bark-inhabiting pseudoscorpions are recorded from a survey on forest and ornamental trees and shrubs in Israel

Twelve species are mentioned from Kenya, six of them are described as new. The genus Paracvhthonius di Cap. is relegated into the synonymy of the genus Tyrannochthonius Chamb.

Sixty species of Pseudoscorpiones representing 25 genera and 10 families are listed from Brazilian Amazonia. Notes on forest types, habitats and sampling areas are given for each species.

The new species is described from the Cova de Djebel Serdj. in Tunisia

Among 11 species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida) collected on the shore of Sar Uanle (southern Somalia), three are new to science: Beierolpium flavum, Elattogarypus somalicus and Cheiridium somalicum. Five species permanent inhabitants of the beach (supralittoral and extralittoral) and their zonation is briefly discussed. Comments are also given on...

The exact trichobothrial pattern is established fro 23 species, including all type-species, of the Ideoroncid genera Ideoroncus, Albiorix, Typhloroncus, Negroroncus, Shravana, and Nathrangia proves to be quite important for a better definition of genera and species-groups within the family. 30 trichobohtira are the basic pattern wherefrom genera or...

One species of the family Miratemnidae and 17 species of Atemnidae are recorded from Kenya. The species Chelifer indivisus Tukllgren is redescribed and placed in the genus Paratemnus Beier, one miratemnid species (Miratemnus kenyaensis) and two atemnid species (Micratemnus crassipes, Titanatemnus tanensis) are described as new to science.

Five species of Dithidae are mentioned from Kenya, only two of them having been previously recorded from this country. Tridenchthonius beieri n.sp. is described and figured. Identification keys to the African genera and East African species are proposed. The nymphal galeal morphology is briefly discussed, its possible systematical importance is emp...