The northernmost record of Oecobius rhodiensis Kritscher, 1966 (Aranei: Oecobiidae)

Abstract

Oecobius rhodiensis Kritscher, 1966 was previously known only from Greece (including Crete) and Turkey. The record of this species in Donetsk (Donetsk People’s Republic) represents the northernmost locality of its range. Despite the high degree of knowledge of the araneofauna of the region, the family Oecobiidae has not yet been recorded here. One male, one female, and 12 immature specimens were found between window frames in the Faculty of Biology of Donetsk National University in May 2021. In Turkey this species has been found exclusively in buildings, but in Crete it has been found in natural conditions: on the rocky coastline, under stones in olive groves and in meadows, in building ruins. In Donetsk, the species has so far only been found in synanthropic conditions. The article contains photographs of the male habitus, palpus, and epigyne. The male and female body and legs measurements are also given.

Keywords

• aranei
• oecobius
• new record
• eastern europe