vege-tation dominates and almost the whole plateau is of high-mountain charac-ter, leading to the higher subalpine and alpine meadows. Many short-grass meadows are situated on the plateau, with Stipa, Festuca, Carex and others.
The vicinities of lakes and peaty places bear a water and swamp vegeta-tion with representatives of the boreal ora, which might have populated this area during the glaciation events during the quarternary period. This zone is characterized by a dry continental climate, variable conditions and a reduced number of animal species.
Three spider species were recorded from the montane zone of Meskheti-Javakheti before we started our studies. Currently, 65 species are recorded from there. We conducted faunistic studies in the years 1939, 1972, 1973 and 1974. Spiders were collected in the regions of Adigeni, Akhaltsikhe, Aspindza (Khizabavra), Akhalkalaki und Tsalka.
Within this zone we obtained interesting material of the family Dysderi-dae. From the genus Dysdera four species are described new: D. iberica, D.
meschetiensis, D. charitonovi, D. spasskyi. Segestria bavarica und S. o-rentina also belong to this family. They are all thermophilous species of the mediterranean subregion. These spiders can be found below and on rocks on pastures.
In places with tall herbaceous vegetation we meet representatives of the Araneidae like Argiope bruennichi, Araneus bisantinus, A. cucurbitinus, A.
adiantus, whereas, on ligneous plants and shrubs in fruit gardens we meet Mangora acalypha, A. diadematus. In sunlit elds with tall herbaceous vege-tation we often nd Pisaura mirabilis und Oxyopes lineatus and many species of crab spiders (Thomisidae). In the elds of Rustavi (Aspindza) with short herbaceous vegetation we meet Lycosa vultusa in great abundance in soil hollows. Hunting spiders can be found in large numbers on the banks of rivers and irrigation canals: Pardosa, Pirata, Tarentula, Xerolycosa.
In September 1973, we collected the poisonous black widow Latrodectus tredecimguttatus on the high mountain pastures of Aspindza (1200 m a.s.l.) on the road leading to Khizabavra in low places next to rock chunks. This was the rst record from such an altitude inside Georgia. From the same family, the species Lithyphantes paykullianus, L. albomaculatus live in the same habitats as the black widow. They were recently found in the mountain meadows of Adjara. Gnaphosa taurica (Gnaphosidae) is distributed in the habitats of the Aspindza plateau.
Zelotes seriatus, Phaeocedus braccatus and some species of the genus Dictyna live below rocks in the vicinity of Vardzia. the interesting Georgian endemic species Coelotes spasskyi is distributed throughout Adjara (Keda, Khulo, Mtirala). It was recorded once in the forests of Akhaltsikhe and Adigeni. A large number of crab spiders (Thomisidae) can be found in grass.
Like in other zones, too, we meet synanthropic species here.
Some of the spiders collected in the Meskheti-Javakheti zone are assumed
30 CHAPTER 4. SPECIES DISTRIBUTION to be thermophilous. They have colonized the subtropic regions of western Georgia from the Mediterranean subregion and acclimatized well to the new conditions, settling in the mountains of Adjara (Keda, Khulo). It cannot be excluded that they colonized the mountains of South Georgia from the region of Adjara-Imereti.
Tab. 5: The spiders of Meskhet-Javakheti in the habitats.
Absolute number Relative proportion of species of all species
Short herbaceous vegetation 45 69.2 %
Tall herbaceous vegetation 19 29.2 %
Under and on rocks 21 32.3 %
Soil hollows 1 1.5 %
Shores of water bodies 10 15.4 %
Buildings 5 7.7 %
The spiders of the mountain zone of Meskhet-Javakheti are not dis-tributed evenly across the habitats (Tab. 5). The largest number of species is characteristic for low herbaceous vegetation: 45 species (69.2 % of all species). Ligneous plants, shrubs, rocks and the lower side of rocks are habi-tats for 1921 species (29.232.3 %), whereas the shores of water bodies are home to 10 species (15.4 %). Soil hollows and buildings yield a minimum number of species: 15 species (1.57.7 %).
Among others, characteristic species include Xysticus marmoratus, Oxy-opes lineatus, Alopecosa taeniopus, Araneus adiantus, A. diadematus, Therid-ium lunatum, Philodromus histrio, Linyphia pusilla and some species of the families Dysderidae and Lycosidae, which have been recorded in three to four of the seven habitats listed in Table 5. High abundance and frequency are characteristic for the majority of these species.
Species, which have so far been recorded only in this zone, deserve our special attention: Dictyna pygmaea, Dysdera iberica, D. meschetiensis, D.
armenica, D. charitonovi, Zelotes seriatus, Xysticus umbrinus, X. marmora-tus, X. ninnii, Synema richteri, Philodromus margaritamarmora-tus, Theridium luna-tum, Tegenaria pagana, Pardosa blanda, Alopecosa cursor, Pisaura mirabilis, Araneus cucurbitinus, A. bituberculatus, Linyphia pusilla and L. hortensis.
A number of species is characterized by a preference for bare rocky places and rock crevices as well as vegetative parts of grasses and herbs, where their frequency and abundance are high compared to other habitats, e. g. some species of the families Dysderidae, Gnaphosidae, Lycosidae, Thomisidae and Araneidae.
Species like Araneus cornutus, Trochosa spinipalpis, the genera Pardosa, Alopecosa, Pirata seem to be hygrophilous species and mostly live on the banks of lakes (Tabatsquri Lake), rivers and irrigation canals (Gardabani).
Like in other zones, synanthropic species include Tegenaria domestica, Pholcus phalangioides, Teutana grossa, T. castanea, T. triangulosa.
Chapter 5
Comparative Analysis
As can be seen from the material presented above, Georgian spiders are char-acterized by an uneven distribution within the landscape zones in dierent natural areas (Tab. 6). The Colchic lowlands dier from the other zones with 236 registered species (65.3 %). Second is the zone of the montane forests with 99 species (27.3 %), followed by the 80 species (22.2 %) of the steppes and semideserts, the subalpine and alpine zones with 68 species (18.9
%), the mountainous zone of Meskhet-Javakheti with 65 species (18 %).
This uneven distribution of the spiders across the landscape zones can be explained by a number of dierent causes. First of all, it is known that the number of suitable environments for spiders varies between the dierent zones. As can be seen in Table 7, ranking rst in this respect are the Colchic lowlands and the montane forests, where the number of environments is at maximum. The other zones are comparatively poor in this respect, especially the alpine and subalpine zones as well as the mountain steppe of Meskhet-Javakheti
Tab. 6: The distribution of the Georgian spiders in the landscape zones. 1 Colchis, 2 montane forest, 3 steppe and semidesert, 4 subalpine and
alpine zone, 5 mountainous Meskhet-Javakheti.
Landscape Zones
1 2 3 4 5
Number of species 236 99 80 68 65
65.3 % 27.3 % 22.2 % 18.9 % 18 %
Characteristic species 37 33 19 22 20
(15.6 %) (33.8 %) (23.8 %) (32.3 %) (30.7 %) As we have seen, the number of environments correlates positively with the number of species. The more suitable environments exist in a landscape zone, the higher is the number of species.
The altitude above sea level has no lesser signicance to the distribution of spiders. Spiders are, as a rule, thermophilous animals. This is why the conditions for the spiders are especially suitable in the Colchic forests, where
31
32 CHAPTER 5. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS the annual temperature curve is higher compared to the other zones and the climatic conditions do not vary very much. The temperature curve of border-ing zones, like the alpine, subalpine or mountain-steppe (Meskhet-Javakheti) zones, shows larger variations and is lower, inuencing the species composi-tion and abundance of spiders. This is similar to informacomposi-tion given in some works of other authors, e. g. Saveleva (1972), Moni's (1962, 1967), Belovi (1969), Mitiaevi (1971), Andreeva (1961) and other works1. It follows that the number of species and spider abundance decreases with increasing abso-lute altitude, while the number of specialized (endemic) species increases.
Tab. 7: The number of environments of spiders in the natural zones.
Absolute number Relative proportion of habitats of all habitats
1. Colchic lowlands 13 30.68 %
2. Montane forest 10 9.9 %
3. Steppe and semi-desert 7 5.6 %
4. Subalpine and alpine zones 6 4.08 %
5. Mountainous Meskhet-Javakheti 6 3.9 %
In spite of this, the richness of the collected materials of other zones allows a thorough characterization of these zones. Comparing each of the ecological characteristics of the spider fauna of the landscape zones to the data of the tables 15, we can state the following: A number of species diers from the others not only in their uniform distribution within the borders of a given landscape zone but in all or the majority of the zones, e.g.: Dysdera crocata, D. punctata, Segestria orentina (Dysderidae), Lycosa vultuosa, Pardosa amentata, P. lugubris, P. plumipes, P. monticola, Trochosa terricola (Lycosidae), Araneus diadematus, Argiope bruennichi (Araneidae), Evarcha arcuata, Menemerus parietinus, Heliophanus cupreus (Salticidae), Tegenaria domestica, Agelena taurica, Coelotes spasskyi (Agelenidae) and some species of the genus Xysticus. At the same time, these species live in the main environments of the majority of zones, but most of them are also special in occuring with high abundances in large populations.
In contrast, other species have a more homogenous distribution pattern compared to representatives of the rst group; they do not reach dominance in any given zone because of low abundances and small populations, e.g.
Brachythele pontica, B. zaitzevi, B. recki (Dipluridae), Oecobius annulipes (Oecobiidae), Eresus niger, E. lavrosiae sp. n. (Eresidae), Filistata insidia-trix (Filistatidae), Ero aphana (Mimetidae), Scytodes thoracica (Sicariidae), Anyphaena accentuata (Anyphaenidae), Hyptiotes paradoxus, Eucta isidis, Gnathonarium dentatum and others.
Within some some zones a number of species with signicantly restricted distributions are characterized by a lower frequency and population size.
1Except for Saveleva (1972) all these publications are not mentioned in the references section
33 Taxa with a preference for the forest zone (Colchic montane forest) are:
Dipluridae, Dysderidae, Linyphiidae, Thomisidae, Theridiidae, Argiopidae, Lycosidae, Clubionidae, Gnaphosidae, Salticidae.
Then follow such families, genera and species, which are more commonly associated with the steppe and semidesert, e.g. Eresidae, Oxyopidae (Oxy-opes lineatus), Lycosidae, Lycosa singoriensis, L. narbonensis, Alopecosa cursor, Pisauridae, Thomisidae, Philodromus, Thanatus, Xysticus, Linyphi-idae, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, Lithyphantes paykullianus, Eucta isidis (Tetragnathidae), Araneus ullrichi, A. adiantus, Argiope lobata (Araneidae).
Recalling the above mentioned, we can classify the spiders in the following ecological groups: I. Transzonal, eurybiontic species, in high abundances in their habitats (38 species); II. Transzonal, stenobiontic species, in low abundances in their habitats (24); III. Species with a preference for the forest zone, (50); IV. Species with a preference for arid zones, including specialized species of the steppe and semidesert (2325); V. Species in soil cavities (4);
VI. Cave species (12); VII. Hygrophilous species of shores and swamps (24);
IIX. Water species (1) and IX. Synanthropic species (5).
If we compare the peculiarities of the distribution of certain species, rst within certain landscape zones and secondly in other zones, then we see that they match each other in many cases. Some eurybiontic species are in one or another zone characterized by the same characteristics as in other zones, e. g.
Agelena taurica, A. labyrinthica, Araneus diadematus, Argiope bruennichi, Mangora acalypha, Lycosa radiata, L. vultuosa, Misumenops tricuspidatus, Theridium impressum, Xysticus species, all synanthropic species and others.
Secondly, some species, which are stenobiontic in one landscape zone, are characterized as being stenozonic or by being stenobiontic in other zones, e.
g. Filistata insidiatrix, Mimetus laevigatus, Scytodes thoracica, Dendry-phantes nidicolens, Drassodes albicans, Talanites atscharica, Anyphaena ac-centuata and others.
Therefore, many spider species are characterized by similar ecological characteristics in dierent landscape zones. The distribution of the species and their ecological valency in a certain natural zone match their according characteristics within other landscape zones.
A characteristic picture emerges for relatively stenobiontic species upon examination of zonal aspects. It is most noteworthy that some environmental conditions are comparable between the the landscape zones, for example in the dierent forest zones and the zones of the semidesert and steppe as well as in the subalpine and alpine zones. As expected, some species are characterized as being stenozonic, namely, in case they are recorded, for example, in the Colchic zone or the zone of the montane forest. These species are usually not found in other zones (Tab. 6).
Other stenobiontic species within the zonal aspect are characterized by other characteristics. In some of them a habitat shift can be recognized, e. g.
in Araneus diadematus, which in the Colchis lives mainly on ligneous plants,
34 CHAPTER 5. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS shrubs, in tea and citrus plantation, but in the steppe and semidesert it lives on high grass, in montane forests on ligneous plants, shrubs (especially on Rhododendron luteum) but in the mountain steppe and the subalpine zone it lives hidden in rock crevices and small pits. Steatoda bipunctata, which in Russia is regarded as a hemi-synanthropic species, lives in coniferous forests (among the wood bers in a depth of 24-24 cm) in Georgia. There it feeds on pest insects, e. g. the eggs and larvae of the bark beetles (Scolytidae), which occur in Borjomi Valley in large numbers.
Alopecosa radiata is a thermophilous species and a Mediterranean form.
It is abundant in low vegetation on the shores of the Black Sea. In mon-tane forests it lives under rocks, among leaves in mosses, but on subalpine meadows it lives under rocks in small hollows.
Episinus truncatus is distributed in the Colchic lowlands in forests, in grass and in Adjara and Abkhazia on citrus shrubs. During this time it was often found in caves in Abkhazia. This is the reason, why this species is regarded as being an accidental cave spider (trogloxenous species). In our opinion it bears this title rightly.
These phenomena are well known from other animals as well, namely in insects. For the rst time they were outlined by the well known entomologist G. Bei-Bienko, who described the mentioned cause, the so-called 'principle of the habitat shift' (Bei-Bienko, 1930, 19592). The essence of this theory lies in the fact, that the humidity and temperature conditions dier between areas of one zone. Among all specic conditions the species chooses only such habitats, which meet its requirements. Recently, the principle of habitat shift was established for other invertebrates as well and its universal character emerged, e. g. in a study on the distribution of mites in Georgia (Kadzhaya, 1975), which came to the same conclusions.
If we compare the frequency of certain species within the habitats of the natural zones, we see pronounced dierences. We should study this in a number of species, e. g. Araneus diadematus, A. marmoreus and Linyphia frutetorum. Their frequency in forest habitats of the subtropical zone does not exceed 910 % (of the total number of the sample). In the zone of the montane forest the according number is hardly higher, whereas in the steppe, subalpine and alpine zones their frequency is higher (near 2030 %).
If we return to table 7, where the abundance of spiders in habitats of a number of natural zones is given, we see a homogenous pattern. Namely in the zone with the highest number of habitats (Colchis), the frequency of the species is lowest. On the other hand, the frequency within habitats is highest in zones with fewer habitats (semideserts, steppe, subalpine zone, subtropical zone).
Such a pattern can, as we see, depend on the heterogenous composition of the species communities in the biotopes. In semideserts, where the
spi-2In Mcheidze (1997) sic: '1953', lapsus.
35 ders occur in lower abundances in the habitats, the communities are less structured than, for example, in forests, where spiders are more abundant in suitable habitats, leading to more structured communities. Because of this, in the rst above-mentioned case the probability of encountering the species in the habitats is signicantly higher than in the second.
36 CHAPTER 5. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
Part II
Descriptive Part
37
Chapter 6
Identifying Spiders
The description of an animal species includes the attribution of a scien-tic name to a specimen. This means that the species is registered in the systematic literature and included in the zoological system. Determination keys help in distinguishing all species according to systematic morphological characters. Therefore, a good knowledge of the morphological characters is important for the identication of species.
The identication keys follow the Swedish system. In this system one complex (or thesis) is contrasted by a second complex (the antithesis). Each thesis is preceded by a number, the rst specifying the thesis, the second in brackets specifying the antithesis. Determination starts with reading the thesis. If the characters of the spider t the description in the text, one proceeds to the next thesis. If the characters do not t the description, one must consult the antithesis behind the number in brackets. The antithesis must of course also be consulted in the case of the thesis well tting the spider's characters.
Determination starts with the family key, which assigns the specimen in question to a family. Subsequently the specimen's genus is determined with the help of the genus key of this family; and nally, the species is determined within this genus. The correctness of the determination must be checked according to the diagnosis of the species in question.
All species names in the key follow the Latin binary nomenclature and in case of the subspecies the trinary nomenclature respectively. The spider's name is followed by the name of the person who rst described it. After determination, a label has to be written with the Latin name of the spider, the location, collection date as well as rst and surname of the collector and the person having made the identication.
39
40 CHAPTER 6. IDENTIFYING SPIDERS
Chapter 7
Keys and Descriptions
Key to families
1 (2) Chelicerae horizontal, with long, parallel claws. Two pairs of lungs with covers. Without tracheae. (Mygalomorphae)
. . . 1. Dipluridae (p. 44) 2 (1) Chelicerae arranged downwards or antero-ventrally, their claws op-posing each other. One pair of lungs and tracheal openings in even or odd number. (Araneomorphae) . . . 3 3 (14) Cribellum directly in front of the spinnerets (Fig. 3). Metatarsus IV with 12 rows of curved spines (calamistrum, Fig. 4). (section Cribellatae) . . . 4 4 (5) Anal tubercle bid, with long setae formed like a brush (Fig. 20).
Spinnerets like Fig. 20. . . 2. Oecobiidae (p. 47) 5 (4) Anal tubercle normal, without brush of long setae. . . 6 6 (7) Eyes arranged in three rows. Anterior part of carapace not narrowed or only slightly narrowed compared to the posterior part. . . 3. Eresidae (p. 48) 7 (6) Eyes in two rows. Anterior part of carapace distinctly narrower than posterior part. . . 8 8 (9) Labium completely fused with sternum. Epigyne of the female genital opening not visible in the adult fe-male. . . 4. Filistatidae (p. 53) 9 (8) Labium movably connected with sternum. Genital opening of the adult female with epigyne. . . 10 10 (11) Tarsi IIV with a row of dorsal sensory setae. Cribellum often bid (Fig. 3). Calamistrum consisting of two rows of curved spines (Fig.
4). . . 5. Amaurobiidae (p. 54) 11 (10) Tarsi IIV without dorsal row of sensory setae. Cribellum in most species in one piece. Calamistrum with a comb-like row of curved spines (Fig. 6). . . 12
41
42 CHAPTER 7. KEYS AND DESCRIPTIONS 12 (13) Distance between AME and PME not smaller than between ALE
and PLE. . . 6. Dictynidae (p. 57) 13 (12) Distance between the AME and PE smaller than between ALE and PE. . . 7. Uloboridae (p. 63) 14 (3) Without cribellum. Metatarsi IV without calamistrum. (section Ecribellatae). . . 15 15 (16) Tibia and metatarsus I and II ventro-laterally with long spines and short spines in-between. . . 8. Mimetidae (p. 68) 16 (15) Tibia and metatarsus I and II without a row of such spines. . 17 17 (18) Tarsus thin and slender, with false segments. Legs very long;
legs II 45 times as long as the body. Labium fused with ster-num. . . 9. Pholcidae (p. 70) 18 (17) Tarsus without false segments. Legs comparatively short; legs II more or less twice as long as the body. Labium not fused with thorax. . . 19 19 (22) Six eyes. Genital opening of the adult female without epigyne.
Male bulbus bulged, more or less covered with setae, rarely with a chitinized structure. Pedipalpus joints without appendage. . . 20 20 (21) Carapace with large hump. Only one tracheal opening in front of the spinnerets. . . 10. Sicariidae (p. 74) 21 (20) Carapace without hump. A pair of tracheal openings close to the epigastric furrow. Large and medium-sized spiders with at least 2 mm body length. Labium longer than wide. . . 11. Dysderidae (p. 76) 22 (19) Eight eyes (rarely the eyes are reduced more or less in cave spiders).
In most cases with epigyne covering the genital opening of the female. Copulatory organs of the males complex and characterized by dierently chitinized structures. Some joints of the male either with apophyses or without. . . 23 23 (34) All tarsi with two claws. . . 24 24 (25) Eyes in three rows: AER with four eyes, MER and PER rows each with two eyes. AME very large, larger than the remain-ing eyes. Eyes of MER small and often poorly visible (Fig.
9). . . 12. Salticidae (p. 104) 25 (24) Eyes arranged in two rows. If eyes in three rows, then eyes of the AER signicantly smaller than the eyes of the PER. . . 26 26 (27) Distance between inner anterior spinnerets as long as their diam-eter. . . 13. Gnaphosidae (p. 129) 27 (26) Anterior spinnerets partly or completely touching. . . 28 28 (29) Odd number of tracheal openings terminating in the central part of the venter. . . 14. Anyphaenidae (p. 144) 29 (28) Tracheal opening terminating directly in front of the spin-nerets. . . 30
43 30 (33) Legs I and II directed laterally, so that the morphologically dorsal
side is facing backward and the ventral side is facing forward. Spi-ders move sidewards. Often with colulus, sometimes without. 31 31 (32) Edge of cheliceral furrow with some teeth. Scopula well devel-oped on all tarsi and metatarsi. Tip of metatarsus with trilobate membrane. . . 15. Sparassidae (p. 146) 32 (31) Edge of cheliceral furrow without teet or with only 12 teeth. If tarsus and metatarsus with scopula, then only weakly developed.
Tip of metatarsus without membrane. 16. Thomisidae (p. 148) 33 (30) Legs I and II directed forwards. Spiders capable of lateral move-ment. Never with a colulus. . . 17. Clubionidae (p. 205) 34 (23) All tarsi with three claws. . . 35 35 (36) Tarsus IV with a ventral row of 610 dentate spines. Labium and gnathocoxa like Fig. 7. . . 18. Theridiidae (p. 221) 36 (35) Leg IV without such spines. . . 37 37 (38) Eyes arranged in three rows. Only two eyes in the anterior row (Fig. 8). . . 19. Oxyopidae (p. 248) 38 (37) Eyes not arranged in rows; if in three rows, then with four eyes in the anterior row. . . 39 39 (44) All legs with trichobothria. Labium not wide. . . 40 40 (41) Legs without scopula. Distal part of trochanter not cut o.
Tarsi with a dorsal row of sensory setae. The length of these setae increasing towards the tip. Spinnerets like Figs. 18 and 19. . . 20. Agelenidae (p. 252) 41 (40) All tarsi with scopula. Distal part of trochanter cut out semi-circular. Sensory setae on tarsus arranged without order or grouped in two rows. . . 42 42 (43) Posterior eye row curved so strongly that the eyes seem to be arranged in three rows (Fig. 10). Each tarsus with an additional claw, which is not dentate or single-toothed. Tibia of the male pal-pus without appendage. The females carry their egg sacs around attached to the spinnerets. . . 21. Lycosidae (p. 267) 43 (42) Two ER, PER weakly curved, with two ER (Fig. 11). Each tarsus with claws, each with 23 teeth. Male palpus with tibial appendages. Females never with egg sacs attached to their spin-nerets. . . 22. Pisauridae (p. 309) 44 (39) No tarsus with dorsal trichobothria. Labium wide (Fig. 21). . 45 45 (48) Width of the eye eld reaches width of the cephalic part. Eyes uniform (ventral part cross-like, Fig. 16). . . 46 46 (47) All femora without trichobothria. Tarsus IV below the claws with dentate spines for spinning (Fig. 15). Legs always with spines. Labium and gnathocoxae like Figs. 21 and 21 a. . . 23. Araneidae (p. 312)
44 CHAPTER 7. KEYS AND DESCRIPTIONS 47 (46) All femora with trichobothria, without dentate spinning spines
below the claws of tarsus IV. Legs often without spines (but not always); if with spines, then abdomen and cara-pace strongly elongated. Adult females without epigyne.
Chelicerae like Fig. 13, labium and gnathocoxae like Fig.
14. . . 24. Tetragnathidae (p. 355) 48 (45) Width of the ME eld clearly smaller than the distance between the AE or in rare cases longer (An exception is Tapinopa from the family Linyphiidae). Eyes variable. . . 49 49 (50) Gnathocoxae approximated above the labium. Legs without spines but with long setae and spines. Not very small spiders (usually more than 3 mm body length). . . 25. Nesticidae (p. 362) 50 (49) Gnathocoxae not approximated above the labium, their inner edge more or less parallel. Legs with or without spines. . . 51 51 (52) Legs IV with two dorsal spines on the tibia, sometimes one, then metatarsi I and II with short spines (Fig. 17). Last segment of the male palpus with a claw. Small and medium-sized spi-ders. . . 26. Linyphiidae (p. 369) 52 (51) Legs IV with a dorsal spine on the tibia. All metatarsi without spines. Last segment of the male palp without claw. Small and very small spiders. . . 27. Micryphantidae (p. 379)