Abstract. Nineteen areas in seven of the nine Azorean islands were evaluated for species diversity and rarity based on soil epigean arthropods. Fifteen out of the 19 study areas are managed as Natural Forest Reserves and the remaining four were included due to their importance as indigenous forest cover. Four of the 19 areas are not included in the European Conservation network, NATURA 2000. Two sampling replicates were run per study area, and a total of 191 species were collected; 43 of those species (23%) are endemic to the archipelago and 12 have yet to be described. To produce an unbiased multiple-criteria index (importance value for conservation, IV-C) incorporating diversity and rarity based indices, an iterative partial multiple regression analysis was performed. In addition, an irreplaceability index and the complementarity method (using both optimisation and heuristic methods) were used for priority-reserves analyses. It was concluded that at least one well-managed reserve per island is absolutely necessary to have a good fraction of the endemic arthropods preserved. We found that for presence/absence data the suboptimal complementarity algorithm provides solutions as good as the optimal algorithm. For abundance data, optimal solutions indicate that most reserves are needed if we want that at least 50% of endemic

VOLKER MAHNERTin je einem Untersuchungswald des Schwarzwassergebietes (Taruma Mirim) und des Weisswassergebietes (Rio Solimoes) (Adis 1977;1979). Zusätzlich zu diesem enormen Material erhielt ich kleinere, aber ebenso interessante Aufsammlungen aus der Umgebung von Manaus von Herrn Dr. U. Irmler (Plön), von verschiedenen Fundorten des mittleren Amazonasgebietes von Herrn Dr. L. A. Lacey (Manaus), aus Santarém von Herrn Dr. S. L. Tuxen (Kopenhagen) (siehe Tuxen 1977) und aus der Umgebung von Belém (don. J. Adis). All diesen Herren gilt mein Dank dafür, mir ihre Aufsammlungen anvertraut zu haben. Nicht weniger dankbar bin ich den Kolleginnen und Kollegen, die mir liebenswürdigerweise Typen ihrer Sammlungen gesandt hatten oder in der Suche nach Typen behilflich waren:

Cave-dwelling pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from Brazil. -Pseudoscorpions collected in about 100 caves have been studied and 25 species of seven families identified. Two new genera -Spelaeobochica (Bochicidae) (type species allodentatus sp. n.) and Spelaeochernes (Chernetidae) (type species dentatus sp. n., with 7 other new species) -are described, together with 10 additional new species in the genera Pseudochthonius (Chthoniidae), Ideoroncus (Ideoroncidae), Progarypus (Olpiidae), Cheiridium (Cheiridiidae) and Zaona (Chernetidae: previously known from its type species from Florida only). Geogarypus itapemirinensis Feio is redescribed and transferred to the genus Cheiridium.

BackgroundIn this contribution we present detailed distribution and abundance data for arthropod species identified during the BALA – Biodiversity of Arthropods from the Laurisilva of the Azores (1999-2004) and BALA2 projects (2010-2011) from 18 native forest fragments in seven of the nine Azorean islands (all excluding Graciosa and Corvo islands, which have no native forest left).New informationOf the total 286 species identified, 81% were captured between 1999 and 2000, a period during which only 39% of all the samples were collected. On average, arthropod richness for each island increased by 10% during the time frame of these projects. The classes Arachnida, Chilopoda and Diplopoda represent the most remarkable cases of new island records, with more than 30% of the records being novelties. This study stresses the need to expand the approaches applied in these projects to other habitats in the Azores, and more importantly to other less surveyed taxonomic groups (e.g. Diptera and Hymenoptera). These steps are fundamental for getting a more accurate assessment of biodiversity in the archipelago.

New species and records of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) from the Canary Islands. -The following six new species are described: Chthonius (Ephippiochthonius) gracilimanus, Lagynochthonius curvidigitatus, Tyrannochthonius setiger (Chthoniidae), Halominniza oromii (Olpiidae), Pseudorhacochelifer canadensis (Cheliferidae), and Allochernes longepilosus (Chernetidae). The species Chthonius (C.) jonicus Beier, Microcreagrella caeca (Simon), Rhacochelifer hoggarensis Vachon, Pachychelifer (?) sp. and Lamprochernes savignyi (Simon) are recorded for the first time from this archipelago. Microcreagrina gomerae Mahnen is sunk into synonymy of Microcreagrina hispanica (Ellingsen). The new combination Pseudorhacochelifer spiniger (Mahnert) n. comb, is proposed.