A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Jumping Spiders (Salticidae: Araneae) of the Republic of Macedonia

Abstract

Eight species of jumping spiders, new to the fauna of the Republic of Macedonia were found in three side valleys of the Vardar River. The species Aelurillus v-insignitus, Evarcha jucunda, Pellenes geniculatus, Pellenes ostrinus, Pseudeuophrys obsoleta and Pseudicius picaceus had been expected in the eountry. On the contrary, Aelurillus concolor and Neaetha absheronica were recorded for the first time in Europe. These findings substantially contribute to the understanding of the two species' distribution.

Full text

--
ACTA
ZOOLOGICA
BULGARICA
Acta zool. bulg., 57 (3), 2005: 299-304
A Contribution to the Knowledge of the Jumping
Spiders (Salticidae: Araneae) of the Republic
of
Macedonia
Cene Fiser1, GaUna Azarkina2
Abstract: Eight species
of
jumping spiders, new
to
the fauna of the Republic
of
Macedonia
were found in three side valleys
of
the Vardar River. The species Aelurillus v-insignitus,
Evarcha jucunda, Pellenes geniculatus, Pellenes ostrinus, Pseudeuophrys obsoleta and Pseudicius
picaceus had been expected in the eountry.
On
the contrary, Aelurillus concolor and Neaetha
absheronica were recorded for the first time in Europe. These findings substantially contrib-
ute
to
the understanding of the two species' distribution.
Key words: jumping spiders, Salticidae, Macedonia, Aelurillus
conc%r,
Neaetha absheronica
Introduction
An extensive faunistic review of the spider fauna
of
the Republic
of
Macedonia made by
Blagoev (2002) revealed 558 species
of
36 families registered in the country since
1907.
Approximately 10% (58 species)
of
the fauna are represented by the family Salticidae
(BLAGOEV 2002).
The search for spiders in three subsidiary valleys
of
the
Vardar
River Valley,
conducted in May 2004, provided us with interesting findings. Among the spiders
collected, eight species
of
jumping spiders are new
to
the fauna
of
the Republic
of
Macedonia. The fmdings
of
two
of
them
significantly refined our knowledge regarding
their distribution. All these new findings are discussed in the present work.
Material and Methods
Spiders were collected from 30 April
to
2
May
2004 by
C.
Fiser. They were caught by
hand
and
preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol.
Collecting sites were the south-exposed slopes
of
the valleys of the rivers Topolka,
Babuna and Treska (Fig. 1). All the rivers belong
to
the
Vardar
drainage system.
Topolka (ca.
21°
45' 30"
E,
41°
41' 20" N)
and
Babuna (ca.
21°
48'
E,
41° 40' N)
valleys are situated west from Veles, whereas Treska Valley (ca.
21°
18' 30"
E,
41°
56'
N) lies south-west from Skopje.
1 Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of
LjUbljana,
Vecna pot
111,
SI
1000
Ljubljana, Slovenia,
e-mml:
cene.fiscr@uni-Ij.sl
2 Siberian Zoological Museum, Institute for Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of
the
Russian Academy of Sciences, Frunze street
11,
Novosibirsk, Russia, 630091, e-mail: gazar@ngs.ru
299
-----------,,------..,---

Fig.
1.
Map
of
the Republic
of
Macedonia. The three valleys are marked with arrows.
The collected material
is
kept in the collection of the Department of Biology,
Biotechnical
Faculty,
University
of Ljubljana, except the specimens of
Aehtrillus
v-insignitus
and Neaetha absheronica, which have been donated to the Manchester Museum (Dr.
D.
V. Logunov).
Results
Aelurillus
concolor
KULCZl'NSKI,
1901
1 Topolka Valley, 2 May
2004;
call. Fiser
C.
General distribution: East Mediterranean, Middle East and Central Asia (see
below).
Until now the species had been reported from Iran
(ROEWER
1955), Georgia
(KUIL'ZYNSKI
1901),
Turkey
(NOSEK
1905),
Kazakhstan
(ZYUZL'<
et
al.
1993),
Turkmenistan
(NENILIN
1984a,
FET
1983,
MIKHAILOV,
FET
1994,
WEsoloWSKA
1996), Kyrgyzstan
(NENILIN
1984a,
1984b,
1984c),
Tadzhikistan
(NENILIN
1985,
MIKfWLOV
1997),
Uzbekistan
(AzARKINA
pers. data).
Aelurillus
v-insignitus
(CLERCK,
1758)
1 Babuna Valley,
30
April
2004;
colI.
Fiser
C.
General distribution: North Europe
(CLERCK
1757,
THORELL
1858,
PAL\1GREN
1943);
West Europe
(LATREILLE
1819,
SIMON
1868,
PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE
1861,
LoCKET,
MILLIDGE
1951,
KEKENBOSCH
1961); East Europe
(FLANCZEWSKA
1981,
PR6sZYNSKI,
STAREGA
1971,
ZABKA
1997,
BUCHAR,
ROZICKA
2002), South Europe
(HANSEN
1985;
METZNER
1999;
AucATA,
CANTARELLA
2000,
CARDOSO
2000); North Mrica
(AzARKINA
300
---·····-·-·····-------TW--------~----

pers. data);
North
Asia
(LoGUNOV,
MARUSIK
2(00); Caucasus
(GUSEINOV
1998); Middle
Asia
(NENILIN
1984a, 1985,
MIKHAILOV,
FET
1994);
China
(Hu,
Wu
1989;
PENG
et
al.
1993).
Evarcha
jucunda
(LUCAS,
1846)
1
S;
Topolka
Valley, 2
May
2004; colI.
Fiser
C.
General
distribution:
The
Mediterranean, South-East
Europe
(LUCAS
1846,
HANSEN
1985,
DELTSHEV,
PAR<\SCHI
1990,
METZNER
1999).
Neaetha absheronica
LOGUNOV
&
GUSEINOV,
2001
1
,Babuna
Valley, 30 April 2004; coll.
Fiser
C.
General
distribution: presumably
East
Mediterranean,
Middle
East
(see below).
Until now, the species was reported only
from
Azerbaidzhan
(LoGUNOV,
GUSEINOV
2001).
Pellenes
geniculatus
(SIMON,
1868)
7 3:2;
Topolka
Valley, 2
May
2004; colI.
Fiser
C.
1
,2
C2;
Treska
Valley, 1
May
2004; coil.
Fiser
C.
General
distribution:
Mediterranean,
Middle
East,
Central
Asia
(SIMON
1868,
HANSEN
1985,
MIKHAILOV
1997,
LOGUNOV
et
al.
1999,
METZNER
1999,
LOGUNOV,
MARUSIK
2000).
Pellenes
ostrinus
(SIMON,
1868)
1
Babuna
Valley, 30 April 2004; coll.
Fiser
C.
General
distribution:
East
Mediterranean
(SIMON
1868,
METZNER
1999).
Pseudeuophrys obsoleta
(SIMON,
1868)
5 Treska Valley, 1
May
2004; coli. Fiser
C.
General distribution:
Europe
(SIMON
1868,
DELTSHEV,
PARASCHI
1990,
METZNER
1999),
North
Asia
(LoGUNOV
et
al.
1993,
LOGUNOV,
MARUSIK
2000), Middle
and
Central Asia
(NENILIN
1984c)
and
China
(Hu,
Lr
1987,
Hu,
Wu
1989,
LOGUNOV,
MARUSIK
20nO,
PROSzvNSKI
2(03).
Pseudicius
picaceus
(SIMON,
1868)
1 Topolka Valley, 2
May
2004; colI.
Fiser
C.
General
distrihution:
Mediterranean
(SIMON
1868,
CAPORIACCO
1948,
FUHN,
GHERASIM
1984,
HANSEN
1985,
DELTSHEV,
PARASCHI
1990,
METZNER
1999).
Discussion
The
influence
of
the
Aegean
Sea
along
the
Vardar
River
had
already
been
well-
documented by
the
presence
of
certain Mediterranean species
of
plants (e.g.
JOVANOVIC
et
al.
1986,
FrLIPOVSKI
et
al.
1996), butterflies (e.g.
THURNER
1964,
SCHAIDER,
JAKSIC
1988)
and
carabids (cit. in
SCHAIDER,
JAKSIC
1988),
thus
the
presence
of
Mediterranean
spider species
(E.
jucunda,
P.
picaceus) in
the
three
side valleys
of
the
Vardar
River is
not
a surprise.
The
Palaearctic species A. v-insignitus
as
well
as
P.
geniculatus,
P.
ostrinus
and
P.
obsoleta, which
are
distributed between
Europe
and
Central Asia,
have
also
been
expected.
The
most
interesting findings
are
those
of
N absheronica
and
A.
concolor;
the
first
has
hitherto
been
known
only
from
the
Caucasus
and
the
second
from
the
Middle
East
and
Central Asia. However, it remains
to
be established
whether
the
Balkans constitute
the
westernmost
border
of
their
ranges,
as
in
Pellenes
seriatus
301

302
(THORELL
1875)
(DELTSHEV,
BLAGOEV
2001,
FISER,
KOSTANJSEK
2001,
ME1ZNER
1999),
or
they occur throughout
the
Mediterranean
region.
The
number
of
jumping
spiders
found
in
the
Republic
of
Macedonia
reached
66
species. It
is
low, compared
to
91
species
of
jumping spiders found
in
Bulgaria (Deltshev,
BLAGOEV
2001)
or
121
species registered
in
Greece
(ME1ZNER
1999).
Even
though
the
number
of
spider species correlates with
the
size
of
the
country
(KUNINER,
SEREG
2002),
the
number
of
Macedonian
spider
species seems
to
be
underestimated.
Two
facts
support the thesis: (1) the difference between the much better studied
Macedonian
and
Bulgarian butterfly fauna
is
not
such great as
the
difference in the
number
of
species
of
jumping spiders
(SCHAIDER,
JAK8lC
1988), (2)
the
number
of
species
had
risen with
approximately
20%
in
the
past few years, after the collaboration with Bulgarian experts
was established
(BLAGOEV
2002).
Acknowledgements: We are indebted to Dr. Dimitri
V.
Logunov (Manchester, UK) for his
help in identification and for the useful discussion. Henrik Ciglic improved the language.
Received: 04.01.2005
Accepted: 08.06.2005
References
ALICATA
P.,
T.
CANTARELLA
2000. I salticidi
di
Sicilia: stato della conoscenza e descrizione di
due nuove specie (Araneae SaIticidae). -Memoire della Societa Entomologica Italiana,
78: 485-498.
BLAGOEV
G.A. 2002. Check List
of
Macedonian Spiders. -Acta zoolica bulgarica, 54(3): 9-34.
BUCHAR
J.,
V.
Ru:2JCKA
2002.
Catalogue
of
spiders
of
the Czech Republic. Praha, Peres,
351
p.
c.<\.PORIACCO
L. 1948. L'arachnofauna di Rodi. Redia, 33: 27-75.
CARDOSO
P. 2000. Portuguese spiders (Araneae): a preliminary checklist. -Ecol6gia (Bratislava),
19(3): 19-29.
CLERCK
C.
1757.
Aranei suecici, descriptionibus et figuris oeneis illustrati, ad genera subalterna
redacti specie bus ultra LX determinati. Stockbolmiae, Svenska spindlar, uti sina hufvud-
slagter indelte samt, 154 p.
DELTsHEv
c.,
G.
BLAGOEV
2001. A critical checklist
of
Bulgarian spiders (Araneae). -Bulletin
of
the British Arachnological Society, 12(3): 110-138.
DELTSHEV
c.,
L.
PARASCHI
1990. A contribution
to
the study
of
spiders (Araneae: Dysderidae,
Salticidae, Agelenidae) in Greece, with a description
of
a new species (Malthonica
spinipalpis Deltshev, sp.
n.
Agelenidae). -Biologia Gallo-hellenica, 17: 3-12.
FEr
V.
YA
1983. The spider fauna (Aranei)
of
the SW-Kopetdagh Mts. Entomologicheskoe
obozrenie, 62(4): 835-845. (In Russian, English summary).
FILIPOVSKI
G., R.
RIZOVSKI,
P.
RISTEVSKI
1996. The characteristies
of
the climate-vegetation-
soil zones (regions) in the Republic
of
Macedonia. Skopje, Macedonian Academy
of
Sciences and Arts,
178
p. (In Macedonian).
FISER
c.,
R.
KOSTAt-.:JSEK
2001. Contribution to the knowledge
of
the jumping spider fauna in
Slovenia (Araneae, SaIticidae). Natura Sloveniae, 3(2): 35-41.
FLANCZEWSKA
E.
1981.
Remarks
on
Saltieidae (Aranei)
of
Bulgaria. -Annales zoologici Warszawa,
36: 187-228.
FUHl\
I.
E., V.
GHERASIM
1984. Donnes systematiques
et
biologiques concernant
Ie
genre
Pseudicius Simon,
1885
(Araneae, Salticidae) en Roumanie. -Travaux Museum d'Histoire
Naturalle "Grigore Antipa", 25: 51-57.
GUSEIl\OV
E.
F.
1998.
Spiders
of
Lenkoran natural area and
of
Absheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan.
Autoreferate
of
the Thesis
of
Candidate (Ph.D.)
of
Biological Sciences Degree.
17
p.
(In Russian and Azerbaijanian, English summary).

HANSEN
H.
1985.
Contributo alia conoscenza dei
Salticidae
Italiani (Arachnida: Araneae).
-Bolletino
del
Museo
civico
di
Storia
naturale, Venezia, 34: 241-322.
Hu
J.
L.,
A. H.
LI
1987.
The spiders collected from the fields and the forests of Xizang
Autonomous Region, China. (II). -Agricultural
Insects,
Spiders,
Plant
Diseases
and
Weecb'
of
Xizang, 2: 247-353.
Hu
J.
L.,
W.
G. Wu
1989.
Spiders from agricultural regions of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, China. Jinan, Shandong University Publishing House,
435
p.
JOVANOVIC
B.,
R.
JOVANOVIC,
M.
ZUPANCIC
1986.
Natural Potential Vegetation
of
Yugoslavia
(Commentary to the map 1 : 1,000.000). Ljubljana, Scientific Council
of
Vegetation
Map
of
Yugoslavia,
122
p.
KEKENBOSCH
J. 1961. Notes sur les araignees de la faune de Belgique. IV. Salticidae.
-Bulletin
de
I'Institut
royal
des
Sciences
naturelles
de
Belgique,
37(43):
1-29.
KULCzYf.!SKI
W.
1901.
Arachnoidea in Colonia Erythraea a Dr. K. M. Levander collecta.
Rozpralty i
sprawozdonia
s posiedzeii
wydziaiu
matematiczni
przyrodniczego
Akademji
umiejetnosci, Krakow, 41: 1-64.
KUNTKER
M., I.
SEREG
2002. Additions to the spider fauna
of
Slovenia, with a comparison
of
spider richness among Europaean countries. -Bulletin
of
the
British
Arachnological
Society,
12(4): 185-195.
LATREILLE
P. A.
1819.
Articles sur les araignees. Paris, Dictionnaire (Nouveau) d'histoire
naturelle, Paris. Ed. II.
22
p.
LOCKET
G. H.,
A.
F.
MILLIDGE
1951.
British spiders. London, Ray Society. 310
p.
LoGUNOV
D. V.,
E.
F.
GUSEINOV
2001. Faunistic review
of
the jumping spiders
of
Azerbaijan
(Aranei: Salticidae), with additional faunistic records from neighbouring Caucasian
countries. -Arthropoda
Selecta,
10(3): 243-260.
LoGUNOV
D.
v.,
B.
CUTLER,
Yu.
M.
MARUSIK
1993.
A review
of
the genus Euophrys
C.
L.
KOCH
in Siberia and Russian
Far
East (Araneae: Salticidae). -Annales
zoologici
fennici,
30: 101-124.
LoGUNOV
D.
v.,
Yu. M.
MARUSIK
2000. Catalogue of the jumping spiders
of
northern Asia
(Arachnida, Araneae, Salticidae). Moscow, KMK Scientific Press Ltd. 299 p.
LOGUNOV
D.
V,
Yu. M.
MARUSIK,
S.
Yu.
RAKov
1999.
A review
of
the genus
Pellenes
in the
fauna
of
Central Asia and the Caucasus (Araneae, Salticidae). -Journal
of
Natural
History,
33: 89-148.
LUCAS
H.
1846.
Histoire naturelle des animaux articules. In Exploration scientifique de I'Algerie
pendant les annees
1840, 1841,
1842 publiee par ordre du Gouvernement et avec
Ie
concours d'une commission academique. -
Sciences
physiques,
Zoologie,
1:
89-271.
METZNER
H.
1999.
Die Springspinnen (Araneae, Salticidae) <.}riechenlands. -Andrias,
14:
1-
279.
MIKHAILOV
K. G.
1997.
Catalogue
of
the spiders
of
the territories of the former Soviet Union
(Arachnida, Aranei). Moscow, Zoological Museum of Moscow State University.
416
p.
MIKHAILOV
K. G.,
V.
FET
1994.
Fauna
and
zoogeography
of
spiders (Aranei)
of
Turkmenistan.
In: Biogeography and ecology
of
Turkmenistan. Monografia Biologicheskaya. Vol.
72.
K1uwer
Academic Publishing, 499-524.
NENILIN
A.
B.
1984a. Materials
on
the fauna
of
the spider family Salticidae
of
the USSR.
I.
Catalogue
of
Salticidae
of
Middle Asia. In: Fauna i ecologiya paukoobraznykh. Perm,
Permskii University, 6-37. (In Russian).
NENILIN
A.
B.
1984b. To the taxonomy
of
spiders
of
the family Salticidae
of
the fauna
of
the
USSR and adjacent territory. -Zoologicheskii zhurnal, 63(8): 1175-1180. (In Russian,
English summary).
NENlLIN
A.
B.
1984c.
Materials
on
the fauna of the spider family Salticidae of the USSR.
III.
Salticidae of
Kirghizia.
-
Entomologicheskie
Issledovaniya
v
Kirghizii,
17:
132-143.
(In Russian).
303

NENIUN
A B.
1985.
Material on the fauna
of
the spider family Salticidae
of
the USSR. II.
Results of the study of Salticidae
of
the USSR. -Fauna I ekologiya paukov SSSR. Trudy
zoologicheskogo institute AN SSSR, 139:
129-134.
(In Russian, English summary).
NOSEK
A
1905.
Araneiden, Opilionen und Chernetiden. -In: Penther,
A,
E. Zederbauer:
Ergebnisse einer naturwissenschaftlichen Reise zum Erdschias-Dagh (Kleinasien).
-Annales naturhistorisches. Hofmus. Wien, 20: 114-154.
PALMGREN
P.
1943.
Die Spinnenfauna Finnlands II. -Act. zool. Fennica, 36:
1-115.
PE!\G
X.
J., L.
P.
XlE,
X.
Q.
XiAO,
C.
M.
YIN
1993.
Salticids in China (Arachnida: Araneae).
Hunan, Normal University Press.
270
p.
PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE
O.
1861.
Notes
on
spiders captured in
1860.
-Zoologist, 19: 7553-7563.
PR6sZYNSKI
J. 2003.
Salticidae
(Aranea)
of
the
World. Last
updated
July 2003.
http://salticidae.org/salticid/main.htm
PR6SZYNSKI
J.,
W.
STAREGA
1971.
Pajaki-Aranei. -Kat. Fauny polski, 33:
1-382.
(In Polish).
ROEWER
C.
F.
1955.
Die Araneen der Osterreichischen Iran-Expedition 1949/50. -Osterreichische
Akademie der Wissenschaften (I), 164: 751-782.
SCHAIDER
P
..
P.
JAKSIC
1988. Die Tagfalter von jugoslawisch Mazedonien. Ljubljana,
Selbstverlag,
177
p.
SIMON
E.
1868.
Monographie des especes europeennes de la famille des attides (Attidae
Sundewall. Saltigradae Latreille). Annalles de la Societe entomologique de France, 8(4):
11-72.
529-726.
THORELL
T.
1858.
am
Clercks original-spindelsammlung. Ofversight
at
Kongl vetenskaps
-
Akademions
Forhandlingar, Stockholm, 15: 143-154.
THURI"ER
J.
1964.
Die Lepidopternfauna Jugoslavisch Mazedoniens.
I.
Rhopalocera, Grypocera
und Noctuidae. -Prirodonaueen Muzej Skopje, Posebno izdanije,
1:
17-55.
WEsoloWSKA
W.
1996.
New data on the jumping spiders
of
Turkmenistan (Aranei Salticidae).
-Al1hropoda Selecta, 5(1/2):
17-53.
ZABKA
M.
1997.
Salticidae: Pajaki skaczace (Arachnida: Araneae). Fauna Polski,
19:
188.
ZYUZIN
A
A,
CH.
K.
TARABAEV,
A A
FYODOROV
1993.
The spider fauna of the Karatau
mountain range. [C.R.] XIIIe Colloquium
of
european Arachnology, Neuchiitel 2-6
sept.
1991.
-Bulletin Societe Neuchiiteloise des Sciences Naturelles, 116(1): 279-285.
IIpuHOC
kbM
u3cAegBaHemo
Ha
ckaqaUl,ume
naHll,U
(Salticidae: Araneae)
Ha
Peny6Auka MakegoHlliI
a.
(/)uUJ.ep,
r.
A3apkuHa
(Pe3IOMe)
Y
cmaHoBeHu
ca
OceM
Buga
ckaqalll,u
namr,u,
HoBu
sa
<}la)'Hama
Ha
PenyfiAuka
MakegOHlI5I,
HaMepeHu
B mpu
MecmoHaxogUlll,a
no
gOAuHama
Ha
peka
Bapgap.
BugoBeme
Aerlurillus
v-insignitus,
Evarcha
jucunda,
Pellenes
geniculatus,
P.
ostrianus,
Pseudeuophrys
obsoleta
U
Neaetha
absheronica
ca
cb06lll,eHU
kamo
HoBu
3a
<}la}'Hama
Ha
EBpona. Haxogkume
ca
Cblll,ecmBeH
npuHoc koM
U35ICIDlBaHemo
apeaAa
Ha
me3U
BugoBe.
~-~~~---~~~~~~
--------rw---------~I----
304