AUSTRALASIAN ARACHNOLOGY

Nutnber 68: October 2003

Price $3 ISSN 0811-3696 Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 2

THE AUSTRALASIAN ARTICLES ARACHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY The newsletter depends on your contributions! We encourage articles on a We aim to promote interest in the a range of topics including current ecology, behaviour and of research activities, student projects, of the Australasian region. upcoming events or behavioural observations.

MEMBERSHIP Please send articles to the Editor:

Membership is open to amateurs, Dr Tracey Churchill students and professionals, and is Museum & Art Gallery of the managed by our Administrator : Northern Territory GPO Box4646 Richard J. Faulder Darwin NT 0801 Agricultural Institute . Yanco, New South Wales 2703. Australia. email: @octa4.net.au

email : [email protected] Format: i) typed or legibly printed on A4 paper or iQ as text or MS Word file on Membership fees in Australian dollars CD, 3 Yi floppy disk, or via email. per 4 issues: Discount"' Normal Institutional LIBRARY Australian $8 $10 $12 The AAS has a large number of reference NZ I Asia $10 $12 $14 books, scientific journals and papers Elsewhere $12 $14 $16 available for loan or as photocopies, for those members who do not have access AU postage is by air mail. to a scientific library. Professional ''Discount rates apply to unemployed, pensioners members are encouraged to send in their and students (please provide proof of status). arachnological reprints.

Cheques payable in Australian dollars to Contact our librarian : "Australasian Arachnological Society". More than 4 issues can be paid for in Jean-Claude Herremans advance. Receipts issued on request. PO Box 291 Manly, Status box on the envelope indicates the New South Wales 1655. Australia. last issue paid for. email: [email protected] .au Previous issues of the newsletter are COVER PHOTOGRAPH by Matjaz Kuntner< available at $2 per issue plus postage. Arbanitis vartabilis cJ from S.E. Qld. Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 3

EDITORIAL ~

LIBRARY UPDATE It is great to read in this issue that ~ Professor Barry Richardson has converted from being an insect ecologist to a salticid taxonomist! Keep your eyes open for the cute jumpers of interest to Our librarian, Jean-Claude Herremans his project. And for those keen to collect would like to thank Dr Louren9() (Paris): for a worthy scientific cause, also Dr Robert Jackson (University of check out the list of taxa for the large Canterbury), and Dr Cor Vink (previously scale project which Dr Cor Vink is from Lincoln University) for contributing involved in. Be sure, however, to get their recent publications to the society advice from your nearest museum curator library. Any other Australasian about the proper process for sending publications are most welcome! material overseas. The current library holdings by taxon are: Thankyou to the Macquarie University spider lab for an update - sounds like we Acari: 2791 have lots more to read about from there! I have introduced a new category of Amblypygi: 93 "Undergraduate Projects" so we can read about the outcome of a scorpion study in Araneae: 7956 this issue, and other such projects in the future, which members would rarely get Opiliones: 509 the chance to to read about otherwise. Palpigrada: 85 Dr Volker Framenau and Matthew Bruce have provided two conference reviews to Pseudoscorpiones: 770 help keep us up with the latest arachnological meetings. Pycnogonida: 70

For those members who wait by the Ricinulei: 59 letterbox for their next society newsletter, you would be pleased to see that the Schizomida: 78 issues have recently been larger. With a rise in printing costs it is more efficient to Scorpiones: 628 favour newsletter size over frequency of production. So keep up the great work Solifugae: 125 contributing all your arachnological news! Uropygi: 69 ...... 7'Z4«9 Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page4

ARACHNOLOGICAL Barry and Marek plan to continue Marek's previous work through further revisions of ACTIVITIES genera, the description of many new genera, and the production of regularly updated interactive keys to the family. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL The latter process, using Biolink, will INSECT COLLECTION eventually include known and predicted distribution maps and photographs of the Barry Richardson & Bruce Halliday genera and ultimately of each species. The project is an ambitious one, given that there are more than 300 described After some years of quiet slumber, work species and at least 1 ,000 yet to be on the spider collection at the Australian described, but each step will be self National Insect Collection in Canberra contained and useful in itself. Barry and has recommenced. This is a Marek are very interested in receiving consequence of two new faces appearing suitable material and information from on the scene. anyone who has any knowledge of Australian salticids. Barry can be A volunteer, Sandy Roy, is working on re­ contacted at [email protected] and curating the collection. He is re-bottling Marek on [email protected]. old material that has been stored in inappropriate containers, upgrading the Bruce Halliday is Curator of Arachnids in collection by extracting the spiders from ANIC, and is continuing his interest in the more than 2,000 bulk samples mites. His present priorities are pest collected by ANIC staff from a wide range mites that occur in stored grain, and a of habitats throughout Australia, and generic level overview and keys to genera sorting them to family as far as possible. of Astigmata ([email protected]). This effort will provide a very useful source of material on the litter living MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY

Barry Richardson has been appointed an Matthew Bruce Honorary Fellow in CSIRO Entomology and has moved back to Canberra from the University of Western Sydney. He has At the beginning of 2001 Dr Mariella given up work on insect communities Herberstein moved from the University of (and other things) to begin taxonomic Melbourne to take up a lectureship at Macquarie University. During her brief studies on the jumping spiders of Australia, an entirely new field for him. period at Macquarie she has managed to This work is being carried out in set up a research laboratory and attracted a number of students working on a broad conjunction with Marek Zabka, the recognised world expert on Australian range of projects concerned with spider salticids. and preying mantid behaviour, ecology and phylogenetics. This is despite the Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page5

lab's less than ideal position in the spiders sit on flowers and ambush basement and next to the university's unsuspecting pollinators. Astrid's results cobalt source. so far suggest that that crab spiders atlract pollinating insects to flowers due Currently the lab consists of Mariella, to their colour contrast with the flower. Astrid Heiling (post-doctoral student), This research has been very fruitful, Greg Holwell (PhD student) and myself. already producing one Nature paper. Anne Gaskell (research assistant), Abby Fleisch (visiting student from the USA), Four students have recently completed and Honours students Felicity Haese, research projects in the lab. Abby Fleisch Anne Wignall and Phoebe Hill have studied studying the effect of several recently completed their time in the lab meteorological parameters, including and are reported to be recovering well. temperature, humidity, and visibility, on the number and length of web Mariella is working on various aspects of decorations of the orb-web weaving the foraging and mating behaviour of spider, Argiope keyserlingi. Felicity Haese invertebrates such as spiders and praying looked at the function of bright white and mantids. Her current projects include the yellow bands on the abdomen of St. signal function of web decorations in orb Andrew's Cross spiders. Anne Wignall web spiders. These are those curious was working with Astrid on the flower crosses found in St. Andrew's Cross symmetry preferences of honeybees and spiders. Functional hypotheses include crab spiders. prey attraction, predator deterrent or web advertisement to prevent accidental Our basement lab (dungeon) has grown damage by birds. This research also very quickly from its humble beginnings forms the basis of my PhD. project. so if anyone wants to come and join us Another research interest of Manella's is please contact Mariella the intriguing mating behaviour of orb­ ([email protected]) or check web spiders. Sexual cannibalism is quite out our website (www. common in this group of spiders, but the bio.mq.edu.aulbehaviouralecology/). We evolutionary significance is still unclear: is have a number of potential honours and it a case of male sacrifice or simply a PhD projects in behavioural ecology, female foraging strategy? This research taxonomy, ecology and phylogenetics. If was conducted in collaboration with Anne anybody has any Argiope specimens or Gaskett, who until recently was employed knows where to get some, I am looking as a research assistant. Anne still for a number of species to complete my maintains an active interest in the lab and phylogeny of this . Please contact has gone on to become our webmaster. me ([email protected]). We are always keen to receive visitors so if Astrid Heiling, a Schroedinger Fellow anybody is visiting Sydney drop us a line from Austria, is collaborating with Mariella and we'll show you around the lab (you on a project that looks at the foraging may even be invited to one of Mariella's behaviour of crab spiders. Typically these famous morning teas). Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 6

Australasian Spiders Needed members of the ) or where their proper family is unknown for the Tree of Life: (e.g., Australian Amaurobioidea). Phylogeny of Spiders For a large project like this a lot of fresh material is needed for DNA sequencing Dr Cor Vink and scanning electron microscope (SEM) work. Earlier this year, Jason Bond and Department of Biology Marshal Hedin spent six weeks collecting San Diego State University mygalomorphs in Australia and other San Diego, CA 92182-4614 collecting trips are planned for New USA Zealand and Australia. Nevertheless, it would be extremely helpful if Australasian arachnologists were able to collect A team of arachnologists based in the material for the project. United States, Argentina, Denmark and Spain are currently working on a five year The associated table indicates the taxa project funded by the National Science being studied in Australia and New Foundation to produce a phylogeny of all Zealand. It is preferable that specimens 109 spider families. representing a genus will be the type species for that genus, but this may not The phylogeny will be based on molecular be possible for many taxa. If you can help and morphological data collected from at collect material please contact the least 500 genera of spiders representing "clademaster" associated with those taxa all the known spider families and their (email addresses are listed below). They closest relatives (Amblypygi, Uropygi, and will provide you with guidance on Schizomida). These genera have been preservation and how many specimens selected to maximize the resolution of might be required. Ideally several fresh deep branches within the spider specimens of each taxa are needed with phylogeny. Of the taxa selected for this at least one preserved in 95-100% study, a quarter of them are found in ethanol for DNA work. You will also need Australia or New Zealand, which to contact your local museum curator to illustrates the importance of Australasia in ensure that the correct international understanding worldwide spider mailing procedures are followed and the systematics. appropriate paperwork is included. For non-institutionally funded arachnologists This project will greatly benefit it should be possible to organize payment Australasian arachnology by resolving for postage. Specimens collected will also many of the unknown interfamilial need to be accompanied by an American relationships. It also has the potential to Museum of Natural History transfer form, correctly place many of the difficult which is available at: Australasian genera which are currently in http://research.amnh.org/amcc/speciment families they don't really belong in (e.g., ransferform.pdf. Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 7

Australiasian taxa within the Tree of Life project and Clademasters. Asterisks show which taxa are adequately sampled. Abbreviations apply to Australian states, and 'NZ' to NeoN Zealand.

Genus Family Location Clademaster Missu/ena * Actinopodidae Australia J.Bond Neoramia Agelenidae NZ C.Griswold Orepukia Agelenidae NZ C.Griswold Tararua Agelenidae NZ C.Griswold Midgee Amaurobiidae Qld.NSW G.Hormiga Pakeha Amaurobiidae NZ G.Hormiga Poaka Amaurobiidae NZ C.Griswold Storenosoma Amaurobiidae Vic. NSW. Qld G.Hormiga Austrammo Ammoxenidae Australia N.Piatnick Amphinecta Amphinectidae NZ C.Griswotd Aorangia Amphinectidae NZ C.Griswotd Kababina Amphinectidae Qld C.Griswotd Maniho Amphinectidae NZ C.Griswold Quemusia Amphinectidae Qld.NSW C. Griswold Amaurobioides Anyphaenidae NZ. Tas. SA M.Ramfrez Arkys Araneidae Australia N.Scharff Eriophora Araneidae Australia, NZ N.Scharff Poecilopachys Araneidae Qld, NSW. NZ N.Scharff Austrarchaea Archaeidae Qld. WA, Vic N.Piatnick Hickmania Tas M.Ramlrez Aurecocrypta WA J.Bond ldiommata Barychelidae WA.SA,Qid J.Bond Barychelidae Qld, WA. NT J.Bond Barychelidae Qld.WA J.Bond Synothele Barychelidae WA,SA J.Bond Supunna Corinnidae Australia, NZ M.Ramirez Cryptothele Cryptothelidae Qld M.Ramirez Amauropelma Ctenidae Qld C.Griswold Matilda Qld. NSW C.Griswold Tekella Cyatholipidae NZ C.Griswold Toddiana Cyatholipidae Qld C.Griswold Cyc/octenus Cycloctenidae Australia, NZ C.Griswold Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 8

Toxopsiella Cycloctenidae NZ C.Griswo!d Kiama * Cyrtaucheniidae NSW J.Bond Badumna Oesidae Australia, NZ C.Griswold De sis NZ, Vic, Tas, WA C.Griswold Gasparia Desidae NZ C.Griswold Gohia Desidae NZ C.Griswo!d Laestrygones Desidae NZ C.Griswold Lamina Desidae NZ C.Griswold Matachia Desidae NZ C.Griswold Myro Oesidae NZ, Tas C.Griswo!d Otagoa Desidae NZ C.Griswo!d Paramatachia Desidae Qld, NSW, SA, Tas C.Griswold Pitonga Desidae Qld,NT,WA C.Griswold Toxops Desidae Tas C.Griswold Cethegus • Dipluridae Qld, SA, WA, NSW J.Bond Trog/odip/ura • Oipluridae WA,SA J.Bond Masferia Dipluridae Qld J.Bond Meedo WA, SA, Vic, NSW, Qld M.Ramirez Eilica Gnaphosidae Qld, WA, Vic, NSW N.Piatnick Hemicloea Gnaphosidae Qld, NSW, WA, Tas, NZ N.Piatnick Gradungula NZ M.Ramirez Macrogradungula Gradungulidae Qld M.Ramirez Pianoa Gradungulidae NZ M.Ramirez Progradungu/a Gradungulidae NSW, Vic M.Ramirez Tarlina Gradungulidae Qld,NSW M.Ramirez Atrax * Hexathelidae NSW J.Bond Hadronyche * Hexathelidae NSW, SA, Qld, Vic, Tas J.Bond Hexathele * Hexathelidae NZ J.Bond Teranodes * Hexathelidae Tas, Vic J.Bond Plesiothele Hexathelidae Tas J.Bond Holarchaea Holarchaeidae NZ, Tas N.Piatnick Huttonia Huttoniidae NZ N.Piatnick Aganippe"' ldiopidae SA, NT, WA, Vic, NSW, Qld J.Bond Arbanitis * ldiopidae Qld, SA, WA, NSW, Vic, Tas J.Bond Centrofhele Lamponidae Qld,NSW N.Piatnick Graycassis Lamponidae NSW,Qid N.Piatnick Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 9

Genus Family Location Clademaster Lampona Lamponidae Australia, NZ N.Piatnick Lamponina Lamponidae Australia N.Piatnick Paralampona Lamponidae Vic, NSW, Tas, WA, Qld N.Piatnick Pseudolampona Lamponidae SA, WA, Vic, NSW, Qld N.Piatnick Australolinyphia Linyphiidae Qld G.Hormiga Haplinis Linyphiidae NZ G.Hormiga Laetesia Linyphiidae WA,NZ,SA G.Hormiga Novafroneta Linyphiidae NZ G.Hormiga Venonia Lycosidae Qld P.Sierwald Malkara Malkaridae Qld N.Scharff Zearchaea NZ N.Piatnick Micropho/comma Micropholcommatidae Vic, Tas, NSW, Qld N.Piatnick Parapua Micropholcommatidae NZ N.Ptatnick TextnCel/a Micropholcommatidae Tas, NZ, Qld, NSW N.Piatnick Moggridgea * Migidae SA,WA J.Bond Migas Migidae NZ J.Bond Australomimetus Mimetidae Qld,NSW N.Scharff Mituliodon Australia M.Ramlrez Mfturga Miturgidae Australia M.Ramirez lxamatus * Nemesiidae Qld,NSW J.Bond Kwonkan * Nemesiidae WA,SA J.Bond Merredinia * Nemesiidae WA J.Bond Teyloides • Nemesiidae SA J.Bond Xamiatus"' Nemesiidae Qld,NSW J.Bond Neolana Neolanidae NZ C.Griswold Ambicodamus Nicodamidae WA, SA, Vic, NSW, Qld N.Scharff Forstertyna Nicodamidae NZ N.Scharff Megadictyna Nicoclamidae NZ N.Scharff Nicodamus Nicodamidae Qld, NSW, Vic, SA, WA N.Scharff Australobus WA M.Arnedo Tasmanoonops Orsolobidae Australia M.Arnedo Pararchaea Pararchaeidae NZ, Tas, Qld N.Piatnick Periegops Periegopidae NZ,Qid N.Piatnick Perenethis Pisauridae Qld P.Sierwald Molycria Prodidomidae NSW,WA N.Piatnick Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 10

Myandra Prodidomidae Vic, WA, Tas N.Piatnick Fecenia Qld C.Griswo!d Psechrus Psechridae Qld C.Griswold Portia Salticidae Qld W.Maddison Dictis Scytodidae Australia N.Piatnick lsopeda Sparassidae Australia M.Ramirez Baiami WA, SA, Vic C.Griswold Cambridgea Stiphidiidae NZ C.Griswold lschalea Stiphidiidae NZ C.Griswold Procambridgea Stiphidiidae NSW, Qld, Vic C.Griswold Stiphidion Stiphidiidae NSW, Qld, Vic, NZ C.Griswold Anapistu/a Symphytognathidae NT, WA, Qld M.Ramirez Meringa Synotaxidae NZ C.Griswo!d Pahora Synotaxidae NZ C.Griswold Nanometa Tetragnathidae WA G.Hormiga Nephi/a Tetragnathidae Australia G.Hormiga Hadrotarsus Theridiidae Tas J.Coddington Bomis WA,Qld M.Ramfrez Stephanopis Thomisidae Australia M.Ramirez Rebilus Trochanteriidae Qld,NSW N.Ptatnick Trachycosmus Trochanteriidae Australia N.Piatnick Waitkern Uloboridae NZ J.Coddington Asteron Zodariidae Qld, NSW, Vic, Tas M.Ramirez Storena Zodariidae Australia M.Ramlrez Zealoctenus Zoridae NZ C.Griswold U/iodon NZ M.Ramirez Charinus Charinidae Qld L.Prendini Charon Charontidae Qld, NT L.Prendini Apozomus Hubbardiidae Qld,NT L.Prendini Attenuizomus Hubbardiidae NT L.Prendini Bamazomus Hubbardiidae Qld,WA L.Prendini Brignolizomus Hubbardiidae Qld L.Prendini Drnculoides Hubbardiidae Qld,WA L.Prendini Julattenius Hubbardiidae Qld L.Prendini Notozomus Hubbardiidae Qld L.Prendini Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 11

Specimens of Amblypygi and Schizomida are also need as outgroup taxa for the INTERNATIONAL • project and are listed separately at the ARACHNOLOGICAL bottom of the table. SUBSCRIPTIONS

C/ademasters' e-mail addresses: Subscriptions to international journals and/or societies listed Jason Bond below will be collated by our [email protected] society's administrator in January. Members have the benefit of Martin Ramirez paying in Australian dollars and [email protected] avoiding a bank draft fee. Our fellow societies also appreciate a Norman Platnick co-ordinated subscription and [email protected] payment. When exisiting members receive their notices they can Miguel Arnedo forward these with payment to our [email protected] administrator, Richard Faulder (see page 1 for details) by 30 Nikolai Scharff January, 2004. [email protected] + Acta Sinica Jonathan Coddington + American Arachnol. Soc. [email protected] + Arachnoi.Soc. of Japan Charles Griswold + Arthropoda Selecta [email protected] + British Arachnol. Soc. + Internal'! Soc. Arachnol. Gustavo Hormiga + Revue Arachnologique [email protected] Those members who wish to join a Petra Sierwald society or to subscribe to a journal sierwald@fieldmuseum .org can email Richard who will advise you of the relevant 2004 fee once Wayne Maddison it is available. [email protected]

Lorenzo Prendini [email protected] Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 12

between forest sites and rehabilitated UNDERGRADUATE n mine pits. PROJECTS \ Recolonisation of rehabilitated mine pits by U. planimanus was shown in the study, but only at one pit. As such, assessment as to what age recolonisation occurs was limited. Habitat variables that may Recolonisation of rehabilitated potentially influence scorpions were rocks 2 bauxite mine pits by the scorpion with a topside surface area over 60 cm (scorpion abundance) and leaf litter cover Urodacus planimanus. (scorpion biomass). This rock size showed significant difference with by Kristofer Collett scorpion abundance, over all sites sampled. A summary of a 3"" year Biology project Between jarrah forests and rehabilitated at Curtin University of Technology, mine pits, a significant difference was & supervised by Karl Brennan. also found in the abundance of rocks with topside area of 30 cm 2 and 40 cm 2 These rocks were considerably higher in This study examined recolonisation by the number for the jarrah forests compared scorpion Urodacus planimanus of with the rehabilitated mine pits. Simple rehabilitated bauxite mines, operated by regression analysis of the data set Alcoa World Alumina Australia, from restricted to rocks under-which scorpions surrounding jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) were found showed that scorpions were forest. correlated as living under these sized rocks. The study was conducted at the Jarrahdale Mine, 45 km southeast of Perth, . Scorpions were surveyed by visual searches under rocks in both mine pits and surrounding jarrah forest. These data were used to determine whether recolonisation of mine pits occurs, and if it had, at what age since mining was recolonisation likely.

Habitat variables that may potentially influence the occurrence of U. planimanus were identified. An assessment was then made of whether the variables to which U. planimanus may be responding differed Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 13

.:.,/ CONFERENCE and the Environment, Forestry Tasmania, TMAG, and the Queensland Museum (!) Villi REVIEW and chaired by Geoff Allen from the University of Tasmania. There were no 34th Australian Entomological technical hiccups at all, and the food provided by the host venue, the Corus SocietyI 6th Invertebrate Hotel, was sensational. & Conservation Combined Conference There were an extremely high number of student presentations, all of impressive quality. Moreover, two presentations with Hobart, 28 Sep - 3 Oct 2003 arachnological contents snatched student prizes for their class: 'Genotypic and 'Arachnological Anecdotes phenotypic adaptation in an aerially dispersing spider Eriophora heroine' by from Tasmania' Hayley Sharp from the Australian National University (with co-author Neil Tassie is always worth a trip, particularly Murray, of La Trobe University) won the if you are attending a scientific poster competition, and; 'Problems of conference on your way to examine the 'apparent' predictability inherent in short­ arachnology collections of the Tasmanian term ecological research: a case study of Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in flood-related changes in beetle and spider Hobart, and the Queen Victorian Museum assemblages' by Andrea Ballinger (with and Art Gallery in Launceston (QVMAG) co-authors Sam Lake and Ralph (which was, what I did ... ). Of course, McNally), from Monash University, came there are numerous other attractions in third in the oral presentation section. Well Tasmania and I have rarely visited a done! meeting with so many delegates embarking on post-conference There were a number of presentations sightseeing, such as extended trips dealing with arachnologicaf subjects and around the island state or caving the following list [with email contacts in expeditions, to name just two. brackets] demonstrates the width and depth of subjects covered: Entitled 'Invertebrates and Environmental Change', this event integrated the annual Oral presentations: Australian Entomological Society, and biennial Invertebrate Biodiversity and Ballinger. A., Lake S. & McNally, R. Conservation, meetings. The conference 'Problems of 'apparent' predictability was excellent, extremely well organized inherent in short-term ecological and executed by the organizing research: a case study of flood-related committee which consisted of members changes in beetle and spider from the University of Tasmania, assemblages'. Department of Primary Industries, Water [[email protected]] Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 14

Beaulieu. F. 'Is each forest type inhabited Weeks, A. & Stouthammer, R. 'Increased by a distinct invertebrate fauna? Insight fecundity and partial cytoplasmic from a group of predatory soil-inhabiting incompatibility associated with infection mites (Acari: Mesostigmata)'. by an intracellular bacterium from the [[email protected]] Cytophaga-Fiavobacterium-Bacteroides phylum in the predatory mite, Metaseiulus Beavis, A. & Rowell. D. 'A comparison of occidentalis'. [[email protected]] maternal investment in a social and non­ social species of huntsman spider'. Posters [[email protected]] Bashford, D., Muirhead. A. & Boutin. L. Doran, N. 'Potential bioresources in 'The spider fauna utilizing Eucalyptus Tasmanian spiders and other obliqua at the Warra LTER site in invertebrates: preliminary work, future southern Tasmania'. possibilities and implications for conservation management'. Durrant. B.'Biogeographical patterns of [[email protected]] zodariid spiders (Araneae, Zodariidae) in the wheatbelt region, Western Australia' Framenau, V. W., Harvey, M. & Austin, A. [[email protected]] D. 'Dances with wolves down under'. [[email protected]] Stay tuned for the XXII International Gotch, T., Framenau, V. W. & Austin, A. Congress of Entomology 'Strength in D. 'The wolf spiders of the South Diversity' in Brisbane (15 - 21 August Australian mound springs: their identity 2004; www.ccm.com.au/icoe) and the revealed'. [[email protected]] next 'Invertebrate Biodiversity and Conservation Meeting' in Canberra in Ridsdiii-Smith, J .. Pavri, C., Reidy-Crofts, 2005! J. & Edwards, 0. 'Increased pasture diversity to reduce populations of red­ legged mites and Lucerne flies'. [email protected]] Dr Volker Framenau Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates Sharp, H. & Murray, N. 'Gene flow and Western Australian Museum Francis St, local adaptation in an aerially dispersing Perth, W.A. 6000 spider Eriophora heroine'. [[email protected]]

Umina, P. & Hoffman, A. 'Diapause strategies of earth mites and implications for pest control'. [[email protected]] Australasian Arachnology No. 68 Page 15

CONFERENCE entirely false. In fact all of the winners u. already had very nice !-shirts! 1111111 REPORT Of course you can't have a European meeting without Russians, and we knew that they had arrived when a pile of 20'h European Colloquium Of smoked fish and vodka suitable for long, Arachnology cold field seasons in Siberia appeared in the fridge! We were grateful for the Despite the tyranny of distance, two incredible hospitality and friendliness of intrepid Australian arachnologists made our hosts, and in particular we would like the epic journey to Szombathely, Hungary to thank Ferenc Samu and Csaba for the 20th European Colloquium of Szinetar for organising the conferencem, Arachnology. and Tamas Szuts for organising social events. The meeting highlighted the diversity of arachnological research being conducted We certainly encourage society members across Europe and beyond. Papers and to go to one of these meetings, which are posters were presented on a wide variety held every year within Europe. of topics including behaviour, ecology, morphology, taxonomy, systematics, Anne Gaskett & Matthew Bruce agroecology, physiology and even the impact of spiders on humans Department of Biological Sciences (arachnophobia). The meeting also Macquarie University included two special symposia, "Spiders NSW2109 as ecological indicators" and "Spider senses", both of which highlighted the wider scientific importance of arachnological research.

The highlights of the meeting included two invited presentations, one by Yael Lubin on the evolution of sociality in spiders and the other by Axel Schmidt on vision in spiders. The other conference highlight for us was Anne receiving the prize for the best student presentation for her talk on sexual cannibalism in the St. Andrews Cross spider, Argiope keyserlingi. All rumours suggesting that she won only because the Hungarians thought that she needed a new !-shirt are