Tanasevitch A.V.1, Koponen S.2 2007. Spiders (Aranei) of the southern tundra in the Russian Plain // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.15 (for 2006). No.4: 295–345 [in English].
1 Centre for Forest Ecology and Production, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya Str. 84/32, Moscow 117997 Russia (no longer valid).
2 Zoological Museum, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku Finland. E-mail: sepkopo@utu.fi
KEY WORDS: Spiders, tundra, Russian Plain, chorology.
ABSTRACT. The southern tundra spider fauna of the Russian Plain, NE Europe (216 species of 13 families) is analyzed based on the type of zonal-landscape distribution. The fauna has a clear European character with predominance of widespread and European boreal and boreo-nemoral species. A significant part of the tundra fauna are the species which are restricted to river valleys only and not living on watersheds (23%). The bulk of the watershed spider fauna (166 species) are species associated with intrazonal plant communities (45%) and species occurring in zonal and in intrazonal communities, but preferring the last one (35%). Typical zonal component (20%) consists mainly of widespread boreal species; the Arctic element here is minor and formed basically by Thomisidae. The main part of the Arctic elements in southern tundra is associated exclusively with intrazonal communities. A list of 240 species which have been found in the southern tundra and forest tundra of European Russia is presented. For each species collecting localities are given, and the type of areal and zonal-landscape distribution is determined. Agyneta tibialis Tanasevitch, 2005, Erigone arcticola Chamberlin et Ivie, 1947, Hypselistes semiflavus (L. Koch, 1879) and Porrhomma boreale (Banks, 1899) are recorded in the European fauna for the first time; Erigone whymperi O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877, Semljicola caliginosus (Falconer, 1910) and Silometopus ambiguus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1905) are new to the Russian fauna. Diagnostic figures for Erigone whymperi are given based on new material.
Entering of boreal and ubiquist species to zonal areas and penetration of the Arctic fauna into the southern tundra using intrazonal communities, mentioned by K. Eskov [1986] for Siberian araneofauna, is here confirmed in the European tundra. It means that processes of zonal-landscape distribution of spiders in Hypoarctic are the same and do not depend on the regional component.