Two new subterranean Typhlonesticus (Araneae: Nesticidae) from the Alps with notes on their ecology, distribution and conservation

Abstract

The spider genus Typhlonesticus Kulczyński, 1914 (Araneae: Nesticidae) includes seven species, most of which exhibiting strict preference for caves, abandoned mines and other subterranean habitats. In Italy the genus is represented by two species: T. morisii (Brignoli, 1975), an extremely narrow endemic species from SW-Alps with a very high level of subterranean adaptation and T. idriacus (Roewer, 1931), showing a much wider distribution in NE-Italy and poor adaptations to subterranean life. Our recent biospeleological surveys in the Alps lead to the discovery of new populations of highly troglomorphic Typhlonesticus that proved to belong to two new species based on morphological and molecular data. Considering the rarity of these new species, we provide general information on their ecology and distribution, including a comparative analysis of troglomorphic traits in Typhlonesticus in relation to biogeographic factors. Information on the conservation status, useful for assessing their extinction risk based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines, is also provided.