![]() ![]() It demonstrates the importance of running a national inventory emphasises the significance of using a good database application and the importance of capacity development to improve the quality and integration of biodiversity information. This paper presents the current state of spider biodiversity information and how it is managed. Presently 71 spider families, 471 genera and 2170 species are known from South Africa, representing approximately 4.8% of the world fauna. Extensive sampling took place and the SANSA database contains a wealth of biodiversity data that are used to provide answers to ecological questions. This national project has several aims: to document and describe the arachnid fauna of South Africa to consolidate all the available data on South African arachnids into one relational database and to make this biodiversity information available to science and to address issues concerning their conservation and sustainable use. To meet the requirements of the CBD, the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) was initiated in 1997. Signatories are obligated to develop a strategic plan for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. In November 1995, South Africa ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Several species of Seothyra (Eresidae) mimic ants or velvet ants (Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1990), as do species of the salticid genus Mexcala (Wesołowska, 2009), while three species of Graptartia (Corinnidae) are exclusive mimics of velvet ants (Haddad, 2004).īiodiversity is one of the most important concepts in contemporary biology, with a broad range of applications. Amongst the South African fauna, myrmecomorphy can be found in several genera of Salticidae, including Belippo, Kima, Myrmarachne and Natta (Wesołowska & Szeremeta, 2001 Wesołowska & Haddad, 2009 the zodariid genera Ranops, Diores, Palfuria, amongst others (Jocqué, 1990(Jocqué,, 1991 the corinnid genera Apochinomma, Corinnomma and Merenius (Haddad, 2006a Haddad & Louw, 2012 Haddad, 2013) the trachelid genus Spinotrachelas (Haddad, 2006b Lyle, 2011b) the thomisid genus Sylligma (Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2011) the gnaphosid genera Aphantaulax and Micaria, and several genera of Linyphiidae. Myrmecomorphy involves the evolution of morphological, behavioural and chemical traits to imitate and closely associate with ants, and many examples can be found amongst spider families (Cushing, 1997(Cushing,, 2012. Revisions of more genera are needed, in particular of those genera related to Mystarini, before phylogenetic relationships can be considered. Keys are provided to species and related tribal genera, with geographic distributions of species recorded. variabilis delesserti Caporiacco, 1949 are also transferred to Mystaria. The insufficiently known taxa Paramystaria decorata Lessert, 1919 and P. (♀♂, Ghana, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda). (♀♂, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe), M. occidentalis Millot, 1942 and new species descriptions include M. Subspecies elevated to species level include M. Four males are described for the first time, and eight new species. Mystaria now contains 13 well-defined species, four of which are in new generic combinations. (♂♀, DRC) which is recognised as the type species. ![]() Mystaria unicolor is re-described and placed in a new genus, Leroya gen. unicolor Simon, 1895, a species last studied in 1895. rufolimbata Simon, 1895 but with the exclusion of M. Paramystaria is considered a junior synonym of Mystaria, based on similarity to the type M. The approach followed was classical taxonomy using illustrated sexual dimorphic copulatory characters and described morphological characters, photographed or measured. The spider genera Mystaria Simon, 1895 and Paramystaria Lessert, 1919 are revised (Mystarini: Thomisidae).
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