Gastrotrich biodiversity in the Arctic region is virtually unknown. Here we present, for the first time, a Gastrotricha investigation from both freshwater and marine habitats in the Hornsund fjord area (Spitsbergen, Arctic). Our research was conducted on the transect at various distances from the foreland of the Hans glacier (Spitsbergen, Arctic). The collected material contained representatives of 15 species belonging to 6 genera, 3 families and 2 orders. From all of the recorded taxa, 6 freshwater and 1 marine species proved to be new species and are described in this paper as Chaetonotus (Chaetonotus) bombardus sp. nov., C. (C.) subtilis sp. nov., C. (Hystricochaetonotus) borealis sp. nov., C. (H.) hornsundi sp. nov., C. (H.) persimilis sp. nov., Lepidodermella polaris sp. nov. and Turbanella pilosum sp. nov. Moreover, 3 other species described from Isfjorden area, another Spitsbergen locality, namely C. (C.) gelidus, C. (C.) jaceki and C. (C.) svalbardi, were found during our research, which may suggest a high specificity of Arctic Gastrotricha fauna. In this work we provide both morphological and morphometric data and we present the phylogenetic position of the newly described and newly found species based on nuclear 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence data.

Eutobrilus stefanskii sp. nov. and E. ayaensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated based on the material collected from Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia.

Type specimens of the Cryptocephalus species described from the Cape Peninsula, South Africa by Fabricius (1798) and Thunberg (1787, 1827) were examined. The following nomenclatorial changes are proposed: Cryptocephalus pustulatus Fabricius, 1798 = C. repandus Thunberg, 1827 syn. nov.; Cryptocephalus sexguttatus Fabricius, 1798 = C. sexguttatus Thunberg, 1827 syn. nov.; Cryptocephalus trifurcatus Thunberg, 1827 = C. laciniatus Suffrian, 1857 syn. nov.; Cryptocephalus sinuatus Thunberg, 1827 = C. meridionalis Clavareau, 1913 syn. nov. = C. capensis Jacoby, 1904 syn. nov.; Cryptocephalus octopustulatus Thunberg, 1787 = C. octopunctatus Olivier, 1808 syn. nov. = C. capensis Harold, 1872 syn. nov.; Cryptocephalus crux Thunberg, 1827 = C. denticulatus Suffrian, 1857 syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Cryptocephalus sinuatus Thunberg, 1827 and C. laciniatus Suffrian, 1857. The spelling of Cryptocephalus pustulatus is fixed. All the species are redescribed, photographed and illustrated. The primary homonym Cryptocephalus crux Gebler, 1848 is replaced by its oldest available synonym C. manchuricus Gressit & Kimoto, 1961.

We revise the Cretan species of the ant genus Temnothorax Mayr, 1861. Sixteen species are recognized, including seven new species which are possiblyendemic to Crete: T. crassistriatus sp. nov., T. daidalosi sp. nov., T. ikarosi sp. nov., T. incompletus sp. nov., T. minotaurosi sp. nov., T. proteii sp. nov., and T. variabilis sp. nov. A new synonymy is proposed, Temnothorax exilis (Emery, 1869) =Temnothorax specularis (Emery, 1916) syn. nov. An identification key to Cretan Temnothorax, based on worker caste is given. We provide a checklist of ant species described from Crete and discuss their status, distribution and endemism.

A taxon considered in past years as P. pallescens sensu Radchenko is described as a new species: Plagiolepis perperamus sp. nov. based on material from Eastern Mediterranean. Its morphological separation from P. schmitzii Forel, 1895, the second species characterized by dense gaster setosity, is supported by study on their environmental niches. Plagiolepis pallescens Forel, 1889 is redescribed based on type specimens and material collected from various localities spread within Balkans. Its taxonomical status is clarified and a definition of a ‘pallescens group' is improved and supplemented. Plagiolepis maura var. taurica Santschi, 1920 and Plagiolepis maura var. ancyrensis Santschi, 1920 are synonymized with Plagiolepis pallescens Forel, 1889.

This paper summarizes current morphological data on pupal stages of representatives of the ‘Opatrinoid’ clade (Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninae). Based on recovered knowledge gaps, directions for future research are provided. Additionally, pupae of three following Southern African species are described and illustrated: Gonopus tibialis (Platynotini: Platynotina), Parastizopus armaticeps (Opatrini: Stizopina) and Zadenos mulsanti (Dendarini: Melambiina).

Mycotretus alvarengai sp. nov. is described from Maués, in the state of Amazonas, North Brazil. The description is based on a single adult male originally from the private collection of the late Moacyr Alvarenga, part of which is now housed in the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ, Brazil). Information on the morphology of male terminalia is provided, together with comments on the morphological affinities of M. alvarengai sp. nov. with other species of the genus.

Fossil limnichids are very rare, and were known from the Cenozoic so far. Here we describe and illustrate the first definitive Mesozoic representative of the family Limnichidae, Erichia cretacea sp. nov., based on a well-preserved adult from the Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber. This taxon is firmly placed in the extant Cephalobyrrhinae based on multiple characteristics, such as body elongate and oval, base of pronotum and elytra incised and metacoxae transverse. The discovery of a Mesozoic fossil species classified in the recent genus suggests that Limnichidae and Cephalobyrrhinae are ancient groups, that experienced long evolutionary stasis.

New information on the genus Sylvicola Harris, 1780 from the Eocene is presented. Additional descriptions of Sylvicola splendida Meunier, 1907 and Sylvicola thiriona Meunier, 1907 known from Baltic amber are given. Descriptions of three new species of Sylvicola from Eocene resins are stated: Sylvicola baltica sp. nov., Sylvicola hoffeinsorum sp. nov., Sylvicola punctata sp. nov. Analyses of the morphological structures and taxonomical differences among representatives within the genus Sylvicola have been carried out. Key to the species of Sylvicola known from the Eocene resins is given.

The harvestman family Neogoveidae (suborder Cyphophthalmi) is distributed across Neotropics, south-eastern USA and Western and Central Africa. Nevertheless, the core of its known diversity lies in Americas. The sole genus known from Africa is Parogovia, with only three species described so far. Here we describe a new species, Parogovia parasironoides sp. nov. from Cameroon, which is morphologically close to P. sironoides. In addition to the analyses of external morphology, spermatopositor and ovipositor, we also described the karyotype (2n=32), a course of the male mitosis and meiosis, and the distribution of major ribosomal RNA genes using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA probe. In the karyotype, the one-armed chromosomes predominated and we detected one pair of the 18S rDNA cluster close to centromere region on long arms of subtelocentric chromosomes. Our study represents the first cytogenetic data in infraorder Sternophthalmi and plays an important role in the reconstruction of the karyotype evolution of Cyphophthalmi.

Examination of museum collections and of recently collected materials from South Africa lead to the discovery of the following eight new jumping spider species that are described here: Evarcha amanzi sp. nov. (♂), E. villosa sp. nov. (♂), Langellurillus squamiger sp. nov. (♂♀), Massagris maculosa sp. nov. (♂ ♀), Microbianor simplex sp. nov. (♂), Pseudicius procerus sp. nov. (♂ ♀), Rhene legitima sp. nov. (♂) and Thyenula splendens sp. nov. (♂ ♀). Massagris concortuplicata Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013 syn. nov. is newly synonymized with M. mirifica Peckham & Peckham, 1903, and both sexes are redescribed. The unknown males of Asemonea amatola Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013, Heliophanus gramineus Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013 and Menemerus rubicundus Lawrence, 1928, and the unknown females of H. sororius Wesołowska, 2003, Massagris natalensis Wesołowska & Haddad, 2009, Microbianor furcatus Haddad & Wesołowska, 2013, Rhene amanzi Wesołowska & Haddad, 2013 and R. pinguis Wesołowska & Haddad, 2009 are described for the first time. The females of Menemerus rubicundus and Neaetha irreperta Wesołowska & Russell-Smith, 2000, and males of Evarcha acuta Wesołowska, 2006, E. karas Wesołowska, 2011 and Habrocestum luculentum Peckham & Peckham, 1903, are redescribed. Seven species are recorded from South Africa for the first time: Belippo calcarata (Roewer, 1942), Dendryphantes acutus Wesołowska & Haddad, 2014, Evarcha acuta, E. karas, M. rubicundus, N. irreperta and Pseudicius matabelensis Wesołowska, 2011. Additionally, new provincial records for species previously recorded from elsewhere in South Africa are provided for the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (five spp. each), Free State (three spp.), Northern Cape (two spp.), and Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces (one sp. each).

Abstract. Temperature changes are among the most powerful causes of disturbed embryogenesis in spiders. They are responsible for body deformities which impede development of these animals and lead to their death long before they reach sexual maturity. The main objective of this study was to show the relationship between the applied teratogenic factor and embryo mortality as well as morphological deformities in Eratigena atrica (C. L. Koch, 1843). Developmental abnormalities were induced by temperatures of 14 and 32°C, changed every 12 hours for the first 10 days of embryo development. As a result, we obtained 78 deformed specimens, including 8 with the fusion of a pedipalp and the first walking leg (heterosymely). Several spiders were additionally affected by oligomely (absence of legs) or schistomely (bifurcation of legs). Since we obtained a relatively large group of larvae with heterosymely of a pedipalp and the first walking leg (in different combinations) we aimed at showing the diversity of this deformity. The morphology of these individuals is described in detail and presented in figures.