Zoological Studies 60:17 (2021) doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-17 Open Access Checklist of Pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) of Albania Martina Červená1,§,* , Giulio Gardini2 , Daniel Jablonski1 , and Jana Christophoryová1,§,* 1Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina, Ilkovičova 6, SK-842 15 Bratislava 4, Slovakia. *Co-correspondence: E-mails: [email protected] (Červená); [email protected] (Christophoryová). E-mail: [email protected] (Jablonski) 2Via Monte Corno 12/1, I-16166 Genova, Italy. E-mail: [email protected] (Gardini) §MČ and JCH contributed equally to this work. Received 8 July 2020 / Accepted 26 January 2021 / Published 6 April 2021 Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan A checklist is presented comprising 42 species in 21 genera and 10 families of the arachnid order Pseudoscorpiones from Albania. Two taxa are identified only to the genus level – Neobisium Chamberlin, 1930 and Roncus L. Koch, 1873. The checklist was constructed according to available published data, material deposited in the Natural History Museum in Vienna and newly collected material. Individual families contained the following numbers of species: Chthoniidae (8), Neobisiidae (13), Garypinidae (1), Geogarypidae (2), Olpiidae (1), Cheiridiidae (1), Atemnidae (1), Cheliferidae (7), Chernetidae (7) and Withiidae (1). Sixteen species and four families (Garypinidae, Cheiridiidae, Atemnidae, Withiidae) are recorded for the first time in Albania – Chthonius jonicus Beier, 1931, C. rhodochelatus Hadži, 1933, C. tenuis L. Koch, 1873, Ephippiochthonius serbicus (Hadži, 1937), E. tuberculatus (Hadži, 1937), Amblyolpium dollfusi Simon, 1898, Geogarypus italicus Gardini, Galli and Zinni, 2017, Apocheiridium ferum (Simon, 1879), Atemnus syriacus (Beier, 1955), Beierochelifer peloponnesiacus (Beier, 1929), Hysterochelifer cyprius (Beier, 1929), H. meridianus (L. Koch, 1873), Rhacochelifer peculiaris (L. Koch, 1873), Dinocheirus panzeri (C.L. Koch, 1837), Lamprochernes chyzeri (Tömösváry, 1883) and Withius piger (Simon, 1878). Moreover, A. dollfusi and G. italicus are newly recorded from the Balkans. Data on European distribution, habitat preferences and taxonomic considerations are reported. The Albanian pseudoscorpion fauna is compared with that of other Balkan countries. Key words: Balkans, Distribution, Diversity, New records, Southeast Europe. BACKGROUND (Zeneli et al. 2014). Despite that, current knowledge remains poor for Albanian invertebrate fauna, including Albania is located in the southwestern part of the pseudoscorpions. Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It lies at the The first pseudoscorpion records in Albania interface between the mountainous Balkans and the were presented by Ellingsen (1910): Dactylochelifer Mediterranean region. Despite the fact that Albania is latreillii (Leach, 1817), Geogarypus minor (L. Koch, a small country, it is rich in biological landscape and is 1873) and Roncus lubricus L. Koch, 1873. Müller ranked among the European countries with the highest (1931) briefly described Neobisium albanicum biodiversity. This is due to the country’s geographic (Müller, 1931), a subterranean and endemic species. position as well as its geological, hydrological, climatic, Other neobisiid species from Albania were recorded soil and relief factors. The high diversity of ecosystems by Caporiacco (1949): Neobisium hellenum (Simon, and habitats offers ideal conditions for rich species 1885), N. doderoi (Simon, 1896) [as N. erythrodactylum diversity and conservation of relict and endemic species mediterraneum (Beier, 1929)] and the new species Citation: Červená M, Gardini G, Jablonski D, Christophoryová J. 2021. Checklist of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones) of Albania. Zool Stud 60:17. doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-17. © 2021 Academia Sinica, Taiwan 1 Zoological Studies 60:17 (2021) page 2 of 25 Roncus lonai Caporiacco, 1949. Beier (1928 1929 Geogarypidae (1), Cheliferidae (2) and Chernetidae 1963) mentioned eight pseudoscorpions, six of which (2). In several recent papers, three new chernetid were new for Albanian fauna – Dendrochernes cyrneus species—Lamprochernes nodosus (Schrank, 1803), (L. Koch, 1873), Chelifer cancroides (Linnaeus, Pselaphochernes lacertosus (L. Koch, 1873) and P. 1758), Neobisium cephalonicum (Daday, 1888), N. scorpioides (Hermann, 1804)—were added to the fuscimanum (C.L. Koch, 1843), N. sylvaticum (C.L. Albanian pseudoscorpion fauna (Christophoryová and Koch, 1835) and Lasiochernes graecus Beier, 1963. Jablonski 2017; Christophoryová et al. 2017). The last Pseudoscorpion research started to progress in the 21st newest pseudoscorpion species in the Albanian fauna century, still focusing mainly on soil and subterranean were Rhacochelifer maculatus (L. Koch, 1873) and pseudoscorpions. New endemic and troglobitic species, Calocheiridius libanoticus Beier, 1955 recorded by Neobisium albanorum Ćurčić, Dimitrijević, Rađa and Naumova (2020). Vujčić-Karlo, 2006 and N. georgecastriotae Ćurčić, Despite this progress, the full extent of Dimitrijević, Rađa, Dudić, Šimić and Vujčić-Karlo, pseudoscorpion diversity remains unknown. The 2006, were described by Ćurčić et al. (2006a b). Later, primary aim of the present paper is to present a checklist Gardini (2018) synonymised N. albanorum with N. of Albanian pseudoscorpions based on a review of all georgecastriotae and described two new cavernicolous available published records, a re-examination of the species: Neobisium latellai Gardini, 2018 and N. published museum material and the identification of the valsuanii Gardini, 2018 and documented the first record newly collected specimens from our own field work. of Neobisium cf. vjetrenicae Hadži, 1932 from Albania. Three new species of Chthoniidae were recorded in Albania: Ephippiochthonius rogoi Ćurčić, Rađa and MATERIALS AND METHODS Dimitrijević, 2008, Globochthonius argirocastronis (Ćurčić, Rađa and Dimitrijević, 2007) and Chthonius The checklist was compiled using all available gjirokastri Ćurčić, Rađa and Dimitrijević, 2008 (Ćurčić published records, material deposited in the Natural et al. 2007 2008). History Museum in Vienna (NHMW) and material The latest updated catalogue of Albanian obtained during several field trips in Albania. The new fauna was published by Dhora (2010) and included material was collected over five years (2015–2019) five families of pseudoscorpions with the following from 45 localities (in Table 1 marked with an asterisk number of species: Chthoniidae (3), Neobisiidae (10), *, Fig. 1). Pseudoscorpions were collected from natural Table 1. List of the studied localities in Albania Code Localities N E a.s.l. 1 Apollonia, Fier* 40°43'16'' 19°28'19'' 75 2 Benjë* 40°14'34'' 20°25'46'' 336 3 Berat* 40°42'14'' 19°57'09'' 54 4 Berat* 40°42'37'' 19°56'41'' 178 5 Berat, Paftal, Vrima ë dragoi 40°41'28" 19°52'42" 433 6 Bënçë* 40°15'23'' 20°00'17'' 255 7 Bërdicë 42°00'28'' 19°28'48'' 7 8 Bilisht 40°37'37'' 20°59'45'' 957 9 Bogë, Helmit Abyss 42°23'53" 19°38'44" 1540 10 Çibërraka 41°09'32'' 20°10'44'' 156 11 Dajt Mt., National Park* 41°21'07'' 19°55'16'' 1052 12 Dajt Mt., National Park* 41°21'56'' 19°54'30'' 1044 13 Dajt Mt., National Park* 41°22'10'' 19°54'28'' 1058 14 Delvinë 39°55'22'' 20°06'37'' 298 15 Delvinë* 39°56'21'' 20°03'08'' 73 16 Dukat 40°15'07" 19°34'00" 388 17 Durrës 41°18'57" 19°27'00" 3 18 Elbasan* 40°59'56" 20°01'18" 109 19 Frashër* 40°51'36" 19°56'21" 37 20 Fushe-Okol* 42°23'47" 19°41'47" 1187 21 Gjallica e Lumës Mt., Kukës• 42°01'26" 20°30'32" 1200 22 Gjirokastër 40°04'00" 20°08'00" 391 © 2021 Academia Sinica, Taiwan Zoological Studies 60:17 (2021) page 3 of 25 Table 1. (Continued) Code Localities N E a.s.l. 23 Hundëkuq* 40°12'28" 20°05'28" 168 24 Kardhikaq* 39°56'55" 20°09'23" 269 25 Kardhikaq* 39°57'09" 20°09'06" 239 26 Klos* 40°30'18" 19°42'12" 44 27 Krumë• 42°12'00" 20°25'00" 485 28 Kurvelesh, Sphella ë Leke Petres 40°14'00" 19°54'00" 667 29 Lapardha* 40°45'33'' 19°59'20'' 151 30 Limni Mikri Préspa* 40°41'01'' 20°59'49'' 866 31 Liqeni i reshpanit* 40°37'13'' 19°36'15'' 106 32 Liqeni i Vriseres* 39°53'27'' 20°20'09'' 317 33 Llogarë Pass 40°11'42'' 19°35'52'' 1028 34 Lumë• 42°04'13" 20°26'46" 300–350 35 Macukull, Shpella Bushiti 41°25'44" 20°03'58" 1131 36 Macukull, Shpella Haruska 41°39'53" 20°07'54" 1480 37 Macukull, Shpella Linozi-Leftari 41°42'00" 20°05'00" 1868 38 Mallakastër* 40°32'14'' 19°42'38'' 36 39 Mezhgoran, Mezhgoranit cave• 40°19'08'' 20°05'38'' 850 40 New Balldren* 41°48'10'' 19°37'50'' 0 41 Oblikë* 42°01'06'' 19°27'18'' 7 42 Palasë* 40°11'44'' 19°35'54'' 1028 43 Parku Kombëtar "Mali i Tomorrit"* 40°35'49'' 20°13'06'' 1566 44 Pashtrik Mt.• 42°12'38'' 20°31'24'' 1200–1400 45 Peca* 39°56'05'' 20°11'42'' 386 46 Poçem* 40°30'21'' 19°44'01'' 39 47 Poçem* 40°30'48'' 19°44'36'' 49 48 Poçem* 40°31'06'' 19°44'28'' 42 49 Pogradec 40°53'52'' 20°40'58'' 697 50 Progonat, Pusi i Kerpajt Pit 40°12'48" 19°56'41" 926 51 Progonat, Shpella ë Kasarit 40°12'38" 19°57'24" 1100 52 Progonat, Shterra ë Cikes 40°13'19" 19°51'43" 800 53 Projekti Shtermeni, Liqeni i Treganit* 41°01'02" 20°05'06" 216 54 Pustec* 40°47'17" 20°54'18" 850 55 Qafe e T'thores* 42°23'20'' 19°44'30'' 1610 56 Qafe e T'thores* 42°23'23'' 19°43'32'' 1606 57 Rruga Cerrik Elbasan* 41°02'36" 20°01'23" 84 58 Saranda 39°44'38'' 19°59'43'' 8 59 Saranda 39°47'56'' 20°00'02'' 56 60 Shëngjin i Madh* 41°19'35" 20°04'27" 582 61 Shtërmen* 41°00'49" 20°00'42" 120 62 Stjar 39°55'58'' 20°03'36'' 93 63 Tartar Mt.