The objectives of this work are: (1) to define spider guilds for all extant families worldwide; (2) test if guilds defined at family level are good surrogates of species guilds; (3) compare the taxonomic and guild composition of spider assemblages from different parts of the world; (4) compare the taxonomic and functional diversity of spider assemblages and; (5) relate functional diversity with habitat structure. Data on foraging strategy, prey range, vertical stratification and circadian activity was collected for 108 families. Spider guilds were defined by hierarchical clustering. We searched for inconsistencies between family guild placement and the known guild of each species. Richness and abundance per guild before and after correcting guild placement were compared, as were the proportions of each guild and family between all possible pairs of sites. Functional diversity per site was calculated based on hierarchical clustering. Eight guilds were discriminated: (1) sensing, (2) sheet, (3) space, and (4) orb web weavers; (5) specialists; (6) ambush, (7) ground, and (8) other hunters. Sixteen percent of the species richness corresponding to 11% of all captured individuals was incorrectly attributed to a guild by family surrogacy; however, the correlation of uncorrected vs. corrected guilds was invariably high. The correlation of guild richness or abundances was generally higher than the correlation of family richness or abundances. Functional diversity was not always higher in the tropics than in temperate regions. Families may potentially serve as ecological surrogates for species. Different families may present similar roles in the ecosystems, with replacement of some taxa by other within the same guild. Spiders in tropical regions seem to have higher redundancy of functional roles and/or finer resource partitioning than in temperate regions. Although species and family diversity were higher in the tropics, functional diversity seems to be also influenced by altitude and habitat structure.

Termites indirectly enhance plant and animal productivity near their mounds, and the uniform spatial patterning of these mounds enhances the overall productivity of the entire landscape.

This paper studies the phylogeny of the spider families Liocranidae and Corinnidae as they have been delimited to date, using an exemplar approach. In the analysis, 40 species belonging to 24 liocranid and 14 corinnid genera are scored for 157 morphological characters. The genera Clubiona (Clubionidae) and Gnaphosa (Gnaphosidae) are used as outgroups. Under implied weighting, a single fittest tree is found. This hypothesis seriously challenges the presently prevailing classification of the former Clubionidae sensu lato. The subfamily Phrurolithinae (Liocranidae) turns out to be the sister group of Trachelinae and is transferred to Corinnidae. In the interest of taxonomic stability, no radical rearrangement of the families constituting Clubionidae sensu lato is proposed, as it is felt that the present results should first be further corroborated by additional, more elaborate analyses on an even larger data set. Jan Bosselaers, ‘Dochterland’, R. novarumlaan 2, B‐2340 Beerse, Belgium. E‐mail: hortipes@dochterland.org Rudy Jocqué, Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, B‐3080 Tervuren, Belgium. E‐mail: jocque@africamuseum.be

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Pitfall trap and sweep net samples were taken over a period of fifteen months (2002)(2003) in the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE), in which the presence of domestic and wild herbivores have been independently manipulated since 1995. ANOVA and ANCOVA showed that the exclosure treatments significantly affected plant cover, with the presence of cattle significantly reducing the relative vegetation cover and spider diversity. Herbivory by indigenous mega-and meso-herbivores did not have a significant influence on the diversity of the spider fauna, but abundance of three dominant species (Cyclosa insulana Costa (Araneidae), Argiope trifasciata ForskM (Araneidae) and Runcinia flavida Simon (Thomisidae)) decreased in cattle-grazed plots. In contrast, Aelurillus sp. became more prevalent where cattle have been grazing. Multivariate analyses revealed that the spider community responded to grazing pressure by aggregating into three groups that reflected control, cattle grazing and non-cattle grazing clusters. It was probable that the direct effects on vegetation mediated an indirect influence of herbivores on spider diversity. The relative vegetation cover was a positive predictor of spider diversity. Spider communities were found to be an indicator of the activity of mammals and could be used as indicators of land use changes and for bio-monitoring.

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Antoonops, a new genus of the spider family Oonopidae, is described from West Africa. The genus contains four new species, all known from both sexes: A. corbulo (type species), A. bouaflensis, A. iita, and A. nebula. All species mimic ants and exhibit a pronounced sexual dimorphism. Several new ultrastructural features are reported, including putative gland pores associated with the coxal insertions, specialized cheliceral setae, and peculiarly modified male endites. The potential of these and other traits as phylogenetically informative characters is discussed. SEM investigation of the internal female genitalia of A. corbulo reveals the presence of two peculiarly shaped sclerites embedded in the walls of the uterus externus and a reproductive tract with an apparent flow-through design.

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