NORTH-WESTERN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 8 (1): 1-21 ©NwjZ, Oradea, Romania, 2012 Article No.: 111136 http://biozoojournals.3x.ro/nwjz/index.html Pseudoscorpions of the Czech Republic and Slovakia: An annotated and revised checklist (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) Jana CHRISTOPHORYOVÁ1*, František ŠŤÁHLAVSKÝ2, Miroslav KRUMPÁL1 and Peter FEDOR3 1. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B–1, SK–842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia. 2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ–128 44 Prague 2, Czech Republic. 3. Department of Ecosozology (Conservation Biology), Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B–1, SK–842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia. * Corresponding author: J. Christophoryová, E-mail: [email protected] Received: 03. April 2011 / Accepted: 27. August 2011 / Available online: 18. September 2011 / Printed: June 2012 Abstract. An annotated and revised checklist is presented comprising 58 species (8 families) of the arachnid order Pseudoscorpiones from the Czech Republic (38 species) and Slovakia (51 species), formerly Czechoslovakia. According to the latest detailed analyses and revisions Chthonius carinthiacus Beier, 1951, Neobisium validum (L. Koch, 1873), Roncus alpinus L. Koch, 1873 and Pselaphochernes dubius (O. P.-Cambridge, 1892) are excluded from the checklist from Slovakia. Formerly recorded Chthonius diophthalmus Daday, 1888, C. submontanus Beier, 1963, C. kewi Gabbutt, 1966, Neobisium spelaeum (Schiödte, 1847), N. jugorum (L. Koch, 1873), Roncus alpinus and R. transsilvanicus Beier, 1928 have not been included in the list from the Czech Republic. Some generally rare species are discussed. Keywords: Pseudoscorpiones, checklist, Central Europe, Czechoslovakia, species diversity. Introduction onymized with Lamprochernes nodosus, see Beier 1932b), “endemic” species in the Czech Republic. Pseudoscorpions are the fourth largest arachnid At the end of the 19th century there were only 14 order (Harvey 2007) with more than 3380 species pseudoscorpion species (belonging to five fami- described in 25 families (Harvey 2009). Europe is a lies) known from this region, but soon the first re- major centre of diversity, and in a review of the vising and summarizing checklist was published major geographical regions of the world (Africa, by Nosek (1901) and later updated (Nosek 1902). Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and Oce- In Slovakia the first records on pseudoscorpions ania, South America), Europe was found to have refer to several Hungarian authors of the late 19th the highest richness with 760 species (Harvey century (e.g. Tömösváry 1882, Daday 1888a, 2007). But even here our knowledge on the distri- 1888b, 1918). Nevertheless, most of our under- bution of many species appears rather sporadic standing of the pseudoscorpion fauna of Slovakia and questionable, especially when older insuffi- dates from the 1950s with the major contributions cient data have been taken into account. More- made by Verner (e.g. Verner 1958a, 1958b, 1960) over, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, located and later by Krumpál (Krumpál 1979, 1980, in Central Europe, the knowledge on diversity and Krumpál & Kiefer 1981, Krumpál & Cyprich 1987, consequent progress have been limited since the 1988). division of the former Czechoslovakia in 1993. The pseudoscorpions of the Czech Republic The first data on pseudoscorpions from the and Slovakia have been studied more intensively Czech Republic date back to the end of the 18th in the last decades of the 20th century, following century (Preyssler 1790), with the description of the publication of the first Czechoslovak determi- Chthonius tetrachelatus. Almost hundred years nation key (Verner 1971), with a lot of new and later, Stecker (1874) introduced more significant unpublished information, but without distinguish- records on 19 species, but some of them were later ing national diversity. Before the dissolution of synonymized, including the newly described Che- former Czechoslovakia in 1993 many rather gen- lifer serratus and Chernes bohemicus (see Harvey eral faunistic records were published, usually with 2009). Some of the faunistic data published before no detailed information on the exact locality. The the World War I (e.g. Stecker 1875, Simon 1879), world pseudoscorpion catalogue from that period which did not distinguish regions in the Austrian– (Harvey 1991) contains several data on national Hungarian Empire, have thus become confusing, diversity for Czechoslovakia, but difficult to sepa- with the exception of Chernes bohemicus (later syn- rate for the two countries. Just three species (Neo- 2 Christophoryová, J. et al. bisium slovacum, N. beieri and Rhacochelifer quadri- sions on this matter. maculatus) can be specified for Slovakia and five for the Czech Republic (Chthonius tetrachelatus, Materials and Methods Chelifer cancroides and Lamprochernes nodosus, Chthonius diophthalmus and Neobisium sylvaticum The current checklist has been compiled primarily using inaculeatum) (Harvey 1991). all available published records (determination keys, cata- Since the split in 1993, the pseudoscorpion logues, conference proceedings), supplemented by faunis- fauna of the Czech Republic has been studied very tic information from many theses, deposited in university intensively, resulting in plenty of first species re- libraries. Analysing the century old works by Hungarian authors (Tömösváry 1882, Daday 1888a, 1888b, 1918) has cords (Ducháč 1993a, 1995a, 1998a, Schmarda generated many questions, with their specific linguistic 1995, Šťáhlavský & Ducháč 2001, Ducháč & Mle- and geopolitical problems. The present paper operates jnek 2004, Ducháč et al. 2007, Laška et al. 2008, only with exact and clear data. For example, for the town Christophoryová et al. 2011b) and the publication of Slovenské Nové Mesto (Slovakia), established in 1918 of faunistic data from numerous sites (Ducháč after the split of Hungarian Sátoraljaújhely, the previ- 1993b, 1997a, Šťáhlavský 2001, 2006a, 2006b, Šťáh- ously published records were revised to avoid confusion. lavský & Krásný 2007, Šťáhlavský & Tuf 2009). On the other hand, some records omitted by Harvey (1991, 2009) and positively connected with the area of Apart from plenty of faunistic and ecological pa- Slovakia have been taken into account. The data for the pers on pseudoscorpions in Slovakia in the 1990s Czech Republic (CR) are followed by information for Slo- (Krištofík et al. 1993, 1995, 1996, Krumpálová & vakia (SR). All taxa include their relevant references Krumpál 1993, Ducháč 1996a, Fenďa et al. 1998), chronologically listed, accompanied by authors, year and there has been an intensive research recently, ana- faunistic information (relevant pages in literature). The lysing the diversity of pseudoscorpions in caves nomenclature for taxa derived from Harvey (2009). In (Krumpál 2000, Mock et al. 2003, 2004, 2005, Chris- specific cases the faunistic data set may express identifica- tion problems (misidentified or partly misidentified spe- tophoryová & Krumpál 2006c, Kováč et al. 2007, cies). Lapsus calami in names of taxa in certain papers are Papáč et al. 2007a, 2007b), bird nests (Cyprich et al. expressed by [sic]. 2000, Krumpál et al. 2000–2001, Krištofík et al. 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, Christophoryová et al. 2007a, Christophoryová & Krištofík 2008, Christo- Results phoryová & Krumpál 2009, Christophoryová & Krumpálová 2010) as well as in numerous sites This checklist includes 58 species in eight families throughout the whole country (Krumpál & Krum- of the order Pseudoscorpiones from the Czech Re- pálová 2003, Christophoryová & Krumpál 2005, public (38 species) and Slovakia (51 species), for- 2007b, Christophoryová et al. 2007b, Krumpál & merly Czechoslovakia (Table 1). Chthonius Christophoryová 2007, Christophoryová 2009a, diophthalmus, C. submontanus, C. kewi, Neobisium 2009b, Christophoryová & Mock 2009, Papáč et al. spelaeum, N. jugorum, Roncus alpinus, and R. trans- 2009, Christophoryová & Krumpál 2010). The silvanicus have been recently excluded from the identification key of pseudoscorpions from the fauna of the Czech Republic, and Chthonius carin- Czech Republic and Slovakia was published re- thiacus, Neobisium validum, Roncus alpinus cently (Christophoryová et al. 2011b). and Pselaphochernes dubius from the fauna of Slo- For the Czech Republic, the checklist with 28 vakia. species of seven families was published by Ducháč (1999b), revised soon after by Blick et al. (2004), Order PSEUDOSCORPIONES de Geer, 1778 presenting 33 species, and by Harvey (2009), with Suborder EPIOCHEIRATA Harvey, 1992 5 more species. In Slovakia there is only one Superfamily CHTHONIOIDEA Daday, 1888 checklist available, completed by Harvey (2009) Family CHTHONIIDAE Daday, 1888 and offering information on 37 species (six fami- Subfamily Chthoniinae Daday, 1888 lies). Tribe Chthoniini Daday, 1888 The aim of our study is to revise species diver- sity of pseudoscorpions in Slovakia and the Czech Genus Chthonius C. L. Koch, 1843 Republic, formerly Czechoslovakia, taking the lat- Subgenus Chthonius (Chthonius) C. L. Koch, 1932 est knowledge as well as national fauna specificity into account. The checklist is intended to provide a Chthonius (Chthonius) carinthiacus Beier, 1951 renewed foundation for future studies and discus- CR: Chthonius pygmaeus carinthiacus Beier: Růžička Checklist of pseudoscorpions from the Czech Republic and Slovakia 3 Table 1. List of pseudoscorpion species of the Czech