Tanasevitch A.V. 2017. Spiders (Aranei) of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the Vaygach Island, Russia // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.26. No.2: 145–153 [in English].
A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky prospekt, 33, Moscow 119071, Russia. E-mail: tanasevitch@gmail.com
KEY WORDS: Arctic archipelagoes, islands, polar deserts, arctic tundra, new records.
ABSTRACT. The spider fauna of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the Vaygach Island is reviewed, with some misidentifications corrected, and the geographical coordinates and modern locality names adjusted. The record of Agyneta rurestris (C.L. Koch, 1836) [M. Dahl, 1928] from the Novaya Zemlya actually refers to A. similis (Kulczy?ski, 1926). The record of Erigone longipalpis (Sundevall, 1830) from the archipelago [M. Dahl, 1928] is based on misidentifying the males of E. longipalpis which actually represent E. arctica palaearctica Braendegaard, 1934, and the females which in fact belong to E. remota L. Koch, 1869. Macrargus solitarius M. Dahl, 1928, previously considered as a junior synonym of Masikia indistincta (Kulczy?ski, 1908) [Eskov, Marusik, 1994], is actually a junior synonym of E. psychrophila Thorell, 1872 (syn.n.). New data on the spiders of Novaya Zemlya and Vaygach are presented, based on fresh material. Agyneta similis, Arcterigone pilifrons (L. Koch, 1879), E. arcticola Chamberlin et Ivie, 1947, Gibothorax tchernovi Eskov, 1989, Hilaira nivalis Holm, 1937, H. proletaria (L. Koch, 1879) and M. indistincta are recorded from Novaya Zemlya for the first time. Bathyphantes gracilis (Blackwall, 1841), Mecynargus sphagnicola (Holm, 1939), Semljicola alticola (Holm, 1950) and Silometopoides sphagnicola Eskov et Marusik, 1992 are new to the spider fauna of Vaygach. Erigone arctophylacis Crosby et Bishop, 1928 is to be ejected from the Russian spider list as its single record from the Russian territory (Novaya Zemlya) is a mistake and actually refers to E. arcticola. Considering the above misidentifications and new data, the spider faunas of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the Vaygach Island are currently known to contain 21 and 20 species, respectively.