Genus: Alopecosa

Game browsing affects nature conservation because the interests of hunters and gamekeepers often lead to high game stocking rates. However, the compositional effects of game browsing on invertebrates are insufficiently understood. We addressed the dynamics of epigeic spider communities in oak stands planted in newly formed anthropogenic environments under the facultative pressure of browsing game. The study site consisted of an open-cast lignite mine and an overburden deposit in NW Czechia. Using pitfall traps, we examined five habitat types (four transects per habitat type): Quercus robur stands ≥ 25 years of age, 12–24 years of age, and 0–2 years of age; Q. robur stands 12–24 years of age that were heavily damaged by game browsing; and sites subject to spontaneous succession for 12–22 years. We captured 9459 individuals from 134 spider species distributed unevenly across the examined habitat types. The young stands were dominated by Pardosa agrestis, Pardosa monticola, and Oedothorax apicatus, whereas Pardosa prativaga, Pardosa lugubris, Pisaura mirabilis, and Alopecosa cuneata dominated the old stands. The stands damaged by browsing had the highest species richness and were dominated by Alopecosa pulverulenta, Xerolycosa miniata, Alopecosa cuneata, and Trochosa ruricola. All the oak stands were rich in threatened species, with most (26) found in habitats damaged by browsing, whereas the youngest stands hosted the lowest number of threatened species (11). The species dominating old stands still included species that prefer greater canopy openness, such as Pardosa lugubris, whereas numerous species of central European climax oak forests were lacking. In conclusion, we identified oak stands heavily damaged by game browsing as a unique environment that shapes the community of epigeic spiders and that differs from epigeic spider communities of oak stands of various ages and those colonizing areas that are allowed to undergo spontaneous succession.

The investigation was carried out in Northwest Anatolia in the period 2006–2011. From 24 localities, 14 wolf spider species in six genera were reported. The species represent lowland as well as mountain spider fauna of the Palaearctic region. In this study, Alopecosa farinosa, Aulonia albimana, Pardosa consimilis, Pardosa hortensis and Pardosa monticola are the first records for Marmara region in Turkey. Trabea paradoxa is the first record for Anatolia.

Results of the exploration of the araneofauna and the entomofauna in West Bohemian heathlands are presented. Spiders and carabid beetles were collected during the vegetation seasons in 2011 and 2012 by the method of pitfall trapping. In total, 3188 specimens of 171 Araneae species and 2168 specimens of 93 Carabid species were determined. The most frequent spiders were Xerolycosa nemoralis (Westring, 1861), a common forest species. The following identified species are listed among the endangered spiders in the Czech Republic in the category „endangered“: Alopecosa schmidti (Hahn, 1835), Micaria dives (Lucas, 1846),  Peponocranium orbiculatum (O. P.-Cambridge, 1882), in the category „vulnerable“: Centromerus incilium (L. Koch, 1881), Evansia merens O. P.-Cambridge, 1900, Metopobactrus prominulus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1872), Arctosa figurata (Simon, 1876), Arctosa lutetiana (Simon, 1876), Pardosa nigriceps (Thorell, 1872), Gnaphosa bicolor (Hahn, 1833), Xysticus striatipes L. Koch, 1870, Evarcha laetabunda (C. L. Koch, 1846) and Trichopterna cito (Blackwall, 1841). The most remarkable species of the Carabids were the Amara equestris equestris (Duftschmid, 1812), Amara pulpani Kult, 1949, Bradycellus ruficollis (Stephens, 1828), Carabus arcensis arcensis Herbst, 1784, Carabus problematicus harcyniae Sturm, 1815, Cymindis axillaris axillaris (Fabricius, 1794), Cymindis vaporariorum (Linné, 1758), Masoreus wetterhallii wetterhallii (Gyllenhal, 1813), Olisthopus rotundatus rotundatus (Paykull, 1790). Studied material was reposited at the Department of Zoology of the West Bohemian Museum in Pilsen.