Three species [Ceratinella playa new species, Erigone denticulata Chamberlin & Ivie, Mermessus denticulatus (Banks)] in the spider family Linyphiidae were associated with emergent vegetation in playa wetlands in the Southern High Plains of Texas. Playa wetlands are being rapidly degraded in the Great Plains of the U.S.A. We describe and illustrate the new species Ceratinella playa from a male and female from Briscoe County, Texas. Erigone denticulata is redescribed and illustrated from males and females from Texas. New distributional records are provided for E. denticulata from the U.S.A.: Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. All of these except those from Wyoming are new state records. A new county record of Mermessus denticulatus is reported from Texas. RESUMENTres especies [Ceratinella playa nueva especie, Erigone denticulata Chamberlin & Ivie y Mermessus denticulatus (Banks)] de la familia Linyphiidae fueron asociadas a la vegetación emergente en cuerpos de aguas temporales "playas" de humedales en las Grandes Planicies del sur de Tejas. Los humedales están siendo degradados rápidamente en las Planicies de los E.E.U.U. Se describe e ilustra macho y hembra de la nueva especie Ceratinella playa del condado Briscoe, Tejas. Machos y hembras de Erigone denticulata de Tejas son redescritos e ilustrados. Nuevos datos distribucionales son reportados para E. denticulata para los estados de Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregón, Tejas, Utah y Wyoming. Todos, excepto los de Wyoming, son nuevas citas para estos Estados. Mermessus denticulatus se cita por primera vez para Tejas.

The intraspecific variability recently documented in the genus Cicurina strongly suggests a reassessment of the taxonomy, particularly for the troglobitic members. Adult troglobitic Cicurina (subgenus Cicurella) are rare and most of the 60 nominal species of troglobitic Cicurina (Cicurella) were originally described upon the examination of only one or two females, resulting in numerous species differing only in minor variations of the female genitalia. In many cases, such morphological differences could also be interpreted as intraspecific variability. We present the first step of the taxonomic revision of the genus with the redescription of all troglobitic species of the subgenus Cicurella based on type specimens to provide a reliable and comparable morphological basis: Cicurina bandera Gertsch 1992, C. bandida Gertsch 1992, C. baronia Gertsch 1992, C. barri Gertsch 1992, C. browni Gertsch 1992, C. brunsi Cokendolpher 2004, C. bullis Cokendolpher 2004, C. buwata Chamberlin & Ivie 1940, C. caliga Cokendolpher & Reddell 2001, C. caverna Gertsch 1992, C. coahuila Gertsch 1971, C. coryelli Gertsch 1992, C. cueva Gertsch 1992, C. delrio Gertsch 1992, C. ezelliGertsch 1992, C. gruta Gertsch 1992, C. holsingeri Gertsch 1992, C. hoodensis Cokendolpher & Reddell 2001, C. leona Gertsch 1992, C. loftini Cokendolpher 2004, C. machete Gertsch 1992, C. madla Gertsch 1992, C. maya Gertsch 1977, C. mckenziei Gertsch 1992, C. medina Gertsch 1992, C. menardia Gertsch 1992, C. mirifica Gertsch 1992, C. mixmaster Cokendolpher & Reddell 2001, C. neovespera Cokendolpher 2004, C. obscura Gertsch 1992, C. orellia Gertsch 1992, C. pablo Gertsch 1992, C. pastura Gertsch 1992, C. patei Gertsch 1992, C. platypus Cokendolpher 2004, C. porteri Gertsch 1992, C. puentecilla Gertsch 1992, C. rainesi Gertsch 1992, C. reclusa Gertsch 1992, C. reddelli Gertsch 1992, C. reyesi Gertsch 1992, C. russelli Gertsch 1992, C. sansaba Gertsch 1992, C. selecta Gertsch 1992, C. serena Gertsch 1992, C. sheari Gertsch 1992, C. sprousei Gertsch 1992, C. stowersi Gertsch 1992, C. suttoni Gertsch 1992, C. travisae Gertsch 1992, C. troglobia Cokendolpher 2004, C. ubicki Gertsch 1992, C. uvalde Gertsch 1992, C. venefica Gertsch 1992, C. venii Gertsch 1992, C. vespera Gertsch 1992, C. vibora Gertsch 1992, C. wartoni Gertsch 1992, C. watersi Gertsch 1992 and C. wiltoni Gertsch 1992. We provide, in a series of maps, a first visual assessment of the distribution of these troglobites. Several problems became evident from our examination of the data, including potential synonymies, conflicting distributions, damaged types, potential mislabeling, species known only from one sex, misevaluation of intraspecific variability, and unknown location of type localities. A reliable taxonomic basis for the eyeless members of this genus is particularly important for cave conservation and management because the particular conservation status of these troglobites, particularly for four species that are included on the U.S. Federal list of endangered species.

This checklist records the occurrence of 1413 species of spiders (Araneae) in 43 families in Canada and Alaska. Distributions of species are given by state, territory and province. Each species name is presented in its original combination, followed by primary synonyms, if any. The list is dominated by members of the family Linyphiidae (39.5% of total species). Highest numbers of species are recorded for Ontario (746), British Columbia (700) and Québec (677). We record 69 species that are thought to be introduced from elsewhere and 321 that are known in the Palaearctic.

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A new genus, Escaphiella, is established for a group of 36 oonopid species found from the United States south to Chile and Argentina. The previously known species had been placed in Scaphiella Simon, and Escaphiella is hypothesized to be the sister group of that genus. Members of the two groups share a laterally extended ventral abdominal scutum and a distinctive female genitalic conformation, but differ in cheliceral shape and setation, female palpal tarsal shape, male and female palpal tarsal setation, embolus form, and posterior respiratory structure. At least seven species of Escaphiella are characterized by the highly unusual occurrence of asymmetry between the right and left male pedipalps. In at least eight species, the right and left posterior median spinnerets are fused into a single median projection, or even lost entirely. Nine specific names are transferred from Scaphiella: S. hespera Chamberlin (chosen as the type species), S. litoris Chamberlin, S. juvenilis (Gertsch and Davis), S. iguala Gertsch and Davis, S. schmidti Reimoser, S. gertschi Chickering, S. itys Simon, S. scutata Chickering, and S. argentina Birabén. Two of those names are newly synonymized: E. juvenilis with E. hespera, and E. scutata with E. itys. The female of E. hespera is described for the first time, and 29 new species are described: E. nye from California

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Deforestation and land‐use change in tropical regions result in habitat loss and extinction of species that are unable to adapt to the conditions in agricultural landscapes. If the associated loss of functional diversity is not compensated by species colonizing the converted habitats, extinctions might be followed by a reduction or loss of ecosystem functions including biological control. To date, little is known about how land‐use change in the tropics alters the functional diversity of invertebrate predators and which key environmental factors may mitigate the decline in functional diversity and predation in litter and soil communities. We applied litter sieving and heat extraction to study ground spider communities and assessed structural characteristics of vegetation and parameters of litter in rainforest and agricultural land‐use systems (jungle rubber, rubber, and oil palm monocultures) in a Southeast Asian hotspot of rainforest conversion: Sumatra, Indonesia. We found that (1) spider density, species richness, functional diversity, and community predation (energy flux to spiders) were reduced by 57–98% from rainforest to oil palm monoculture; (2) jungle rubber and rubber monoculture sustained relatively high diversity and predation in ground spiders, but small cryptic spider species strongly declined; (3) high species turnover compensated losses of some functional trait combinations, but did not compensate for the overall loss of functional diversity and predation per unit area; (4) spider diversity was related to habitat structure such as amount of litter, understory density, and understory height, while spider predation was better explained by plant diversity. Management practices that increase habitat‐structural complexity and plant diversity such as mulching, reduced weeding, and intercropping monocultures with other plants may contribute to maintaining functional diversity of and predation services provided by ground invertebrate communities in plantations.

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