This volume merges all geographical and paleogeographical data on all groups of the arachnofauna. The book features topics such as the ecological factors, climate and other barriers that influence the distribution of arachnida. It also elaborates on the characteristics of the distribution such as arachnida at high altitude (e.g. Himalaya), in caves, in polar regions and highlights differences between the arachnofauna of e.g. Mediterranean regions vs Central Europe, West African vs Indomalayan and more. Furthermore, amongst other topics the volume also includes chapters on the systems of arachnida, fossil orders, dispersal and dispersion, endemics and relicts, regional arachnogeography, cave and high altitude arachnida.

remnants of gene pools of these species. Badghyz Natural Reserve, established in 1941, became a refuge for the last existing population of the Turkmen onager (Equus hemionus onager) and a unique pistachio woodland. A new generation oflocal Turkmen scientists, many of whom were trained by the Russian researchers in the graduate schools of Moscow and Leningrad arose from the 1930s through the 1950s. The Turkmen Academy of Sciences and its journal, Proceedings (including the monthly biological series), served to record the results of diverse biological studies in the republic. While basic science in the Middle Asian republics rather gained from the Russian "colonial" influence, natural resources, in contrast, were severely damaged by the Soviet way of handling the economy and social issues. Severe environmental problems have been inherited by the now independent Turkmenistan, including overgrazed desert pastures, deforested mountains, depleted water resources, accumulated pesticides in cotton fields, declining populations of endangered species of animals and plants, and - worst of al- progressing, human-caused desertification (Kharin this volume). In order to approach a solution to these problems, scientists and officials in the republic will need the close attention and help of the international scientific community.

From single-celled organisms in Black Sea sand to endemic cave crustaceans, from mountain glacial relict insects to the most diverse bird fauna in Europe, the fauna of Bulgaria has been a subject of study for more than a century. This is the first English language survey of all vertebrate and many key invertebrate groups of Bulgaria, their faunistics, origin, geographical and ecological distribution, and conservation issues.

This issue is dedicated to Dr. Christo Deltshev, the doyen of Bulgarian araneology. It contains seventeen arachnological publications, including a concise biography of Dr. Deltshev, a list of his scientific publications and his described taxa. The volume comprises taxonomic contributions in the spider families Hypochilidae, Sicariidae, Dysderidae, Hersiliidae, Theridiidae, Linyphiidae, Lycosidae, Dictynidae, Gnaphosidae, Sparassidae, Philodromidae and Salticidae and fossil taxa in the harvestmen suborders Dyspnoi and Eupnoi, written by a total of 36 authors. Four new genera and 37 new spider and harvestmen species have been described in this volume, and dozens of new taxonomic alterations (new combinations, new synonyms, new statuses, etc.) are proposed too. Geographically, the papers deal with material originating from Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America. There is also an overview of the use of barcoding to identify spiders in species-rich genera.

This authoritative catalogue will greatly assist readers in finding the correct taxonomic name for any given family, genus or species within each of the six arachnid orders treated. It contains a valuable summary of bibliographic information, enabling readers to access the worldwide literature for these smaller orders. The catalogue presents full bibliographic data on each of the taxa named thus far, treating over 1600 species. It contains the most current classification system for each group, some of which have not been catalogued on a world scale for over 70 years. A summary of taxonomic changes is included. This quality reference will be of immense value to arachnologists, systematists, taxonomists, ecologists and biodiversity professionals, especially those interested in tropical rainforest communities.