Ground spiders (Gnaphosidae; Araneae) of Crete (Greece). Taxonomy and distribution. I.

Abstract

The taxonomy and distribution of 22 species, belonging to the genera Anagraphis, Poecilochroa, Berinda, Callilepis, Micaria, Pterotricha, Gnaphosa, Nomisia, Haplodrassus and Leptodrassus of the family Gnaphosidae, are analyzed. In total, 5287 adult spiders were collected from 73 sites on Crete and the surrounding islands of Gavdos, Gavdopoula and Dia. Sites cover the main axis of each island and altitudes up to 2450m. Five species are recorded for the first time in Europe (Anagraphis pallens, Berinda ensigera, Gnaphosa bithynica, Nomisia excerpta and Leptodrassus pupa), four are recorded for the first time in Greece (Poecilochroa senilis, Haplodrassus minor, Leptodrassus albidus, L. femineus) and five are recorded for the first time in Crete (the previous species plus Micaria albovittata, previously reported from other parts of Greece). Two new species, Leptodrassus hadjissaranti sp. n. and L. manolisi sp. n., and the females of Berinda amabilis and Haplodrassus creticus are described, while some redescriptions, two new combinations (Berinda ensigera [from Drassodes] and Haplodrassus creticus [from Drassodes]) and four new synonymizations (Drassodes flavomaculatus = Poecilochroa senilis, Talanites aculeatus = Berinda amabilis, Drassodes reimoseri = Berinda ensigera and Drassodes lithobius = Haplodrassus dalmatensis) are also included.