Taxonomy of Linyphiidae (Arthropoda, Araneae) in Théniet El Had National Park with new records for Algeria.

Abstract

Background: Cedrusatlantica, a species of coniferous tree in the Pinaceae family, is endemic to Algeria and Morocco. It originated in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa, hence the name Atlas Cedar. Cedar forests are home to a diverse range of flora and fauna. Yet despite their importance as a rich reservoir of fauna, very few faunistic studies have been carried out in Algeria in this type of ecosystem, particularly for the Araneae. Théniet El Had National Park (34.25 km²) is a unique national park in the western part of Algeria with centuries-old cedars. The present work is the first of its kind, consisting of establishing a preliminary list of Lyniphiidae in this typical ecosystem.

New information: A preliminary checklist of Linyphiidae of the National Park is provided, following a sampling period between January and December 2019. A total of 24 species were collected belonging to 15 genera of which Pelecopsis is the richest genus with six species. Pelecopsisoujda Bosmans & Abrous, 1992 and Walckenaeriaheimbergi Bosmans, 2007, only known from Morocco so far, were collected for the first time in Algeria. Their distribution area is, thus, more extensive than present.