First catalog of spiders of Egypt (Araneae)

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  First catalog of spiders of Egypt (Araneae) Abstract This study provides a comprehensive catalog of the spider fauna of Egypt, comprising 389 species assigned to 197 genera and 40 families. For each species, all published locality records are compiled and accompanied by complete bibliographic references. The dataset has been carefully reviewed and critically evaluated in light of the most recent taxonomic and faunistic information. Among the recorded species, 55 (14.13%) are currently known only from Egypt and are thus considered endemic. Based on the World Spider Catalog (2026), 28 species are treated as nomina dubia, 23 species lack confirmed records from Egypt, which is not correct, 10 have to be omitted from the Egyptian list and 8 are species inquirenda. Despite the relatively high number of documented species, the Egyptian araneofauna remains insufficiently explored. Given the country’s ecological diversity and biogeographical position, further research is expected to signi...

Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae)

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Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae)

The genus Lachesana Strand, 1932 belongs to the subfamily Lachesaninae Jocqué, 1991, and currently contains 14 valid species (WSC 2026) from Central Asia and the Middle East: Lachesana bayramgocmeni Özkütük, Yağmur, Gücel, Shafaie, Özden & Kunt, 2020 (♂♀; Cyprus); L. blackwalli (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (♂♀; Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey); L. dyachkovi Fomichev & Marusik, 2019 (♂; Kahazakstan); L. gavishae Shafaie & Pekár, 2025 (♂♀; Israel); L. graeca Thaler & Knoflach, 2004 (♂; Greece); L. insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 (♂; Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates); L. kavirensis Zamani & Marusik, 2021 (♂; Iran); L. naxos Wunderlich, 2022 (♂; Greece); L. perseus Zamani & Marusik, 2021 (♂; Iran); L. perversa (Audouin, 1826) (♂; Egypt, and Syria); L. rufiventris (Simon, 1873) (♂♀; Greece, Israel, and Syria); L. salam Hammouri, Ganem & Gavish-Regev, 2024 (Israel, Palestine, and Syria), and L. tarabaevi Zonstein & Ovtchinnikov, 1999 (♂♀; Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan). The biology of Lachesana has been investigated by some workers (e.g. Pekár & Lubin, 2009), and the genus has featured in a recent phylogenomic work, which supported its placement alongside other species previously considered to belong to the Lachesaninae, albeit based on a single representative species of the genus (Ortiz et al., 2025). As of the time of writing, three species of zodariid are known to be present in Saudi Arabia: L. insensibilis, Trygetus riyadhensis Ono & Jocqué, 1986 and Zodarion buettikeri (Ono & Jocqué, 1986) (El-Hennawy, 2014). More widely within the Arabian Peninsula, other species of the aforementioned genera exist, in addition to species of the genera Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966, Pax Levy, 1990, and Parazodarion Ovtchinnikov, Ahmad & Gurko, 2009 (World Spider Catalog 2026).

 Sherwood, D., Buelvas, D.A. & Jocqué, R. (2026) Taxonomic notes on and redescription of Lachesana insensibilis Jocqué, 1991 from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Zodariidae). Zootaxa, 5873 (2), 392–400. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5873.2.16