Programme
35th European Congress of Arachnology Programme
Sunday 31/8/2025
18:00 Registration opening
19:00 Welcome reception
Monday 1/9/2025
8:00 Registration
9:00-9:30 Opening Ceremony
9:30-10:00 COFFEE BREAK
10:00-11:00 PLENARY TALK. Miquel A. Arnedo: Fast & curious: How high-throughput sequencing redefines spider biodiversity research.
Chair Vera Opatova
11:00-13:00 Systematics & Phylogenetics
Chair Mark Harvey
11:00-11:15 Vera Opatova et al.: Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic origins of the spider family Nemesiidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae)
11:15-11:30 Marc Domènech et al.: Resampling multiple genomic matrices to evaluate chelicerate relationships
11:30-11:45 Domagoj Gajski et al.: Facilitating taxonomy and phylogenetics: An informative and cost-effective protocol integrating long amplicon PCRs and third generation sequencing
11:45-12:00 Annui Sanz-LaParra** et al.: Phylogeny of the Savignia genus group of dwarf spiders using UCEs and phylogenetic position within Linyphiidae
12:00-12:15 Markéta Byronová**et al.: When morphology fails - the role of cytogenetics in species delimitation of the scorpion genus Euscorpius
12:15-12:30 Hsiang-Yun Lin**et al.: Across islands and coastlines: Phylogenetic insights into the East Asian pseudoscorpion genus Nipponogarypus Morikawa, 1955
12:30-12:45 Krisztián Szabó et al.: Mitospecies: a novel concept for describing molecular diversity
12:45-13:00 János Novák et al.: Establishing the DNA barcode reference library of the Georgian pseudoscorpion fauna (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones): an initial assessment
13:00-14:30 LUNCH BREAK
14:30-16:00 Systematics & Phylogenetics; Evolutionary Biology & Genomics
Chair Miquel A. Arnedo
Systematics & Phylogenetics
14:30-14:45 Peter Michalik et al.: Alone no more - Integrative taxonomy of New Zealand odd-clawed spiders challenges the monotypy of Pianoa and Gradungula (Araneae: Gradungulidae)
14:45-15:00 Tamás Szűts et al.: A bridge close enough: sclerite homology hypotheses and salticid systematics
Evolutionary Biology & Genomics
15:00-15:15 Vladislav Ivanov et al.: Genetic basis of complex traits in Latrodectus katipo and L. hasselti
15:15-15:30 Alba Enguídanos García* et al.: Unravelling diversification in speciose lineages: the red devil Dysdera erythrina species complex (Araneae: Dysderidae)
15:30-15:45 Sabrina Torres Kalme* et al.: Insights into karyotype evolution of Solifugae
15:45-16:00 Maitry Jani* et al.: A spider’s guide to packing: The evolution of prey wrapping in spiders
16:00-16:30 COFFEE BREAK
16:30-18:15 Faunistics & Distribution; Biogeography
Chair Simona Kralj-Fišer
Faunistics & Distribution
16:30-16:45 Tommaso Fusco* et al.: The ground spiders of the Tolfa Mountains (Latium, Italy): diversity and community composition
16:45-17:00 Gordana Grbić: Tangled web of information and misinformation about spiders in Serbia
17:00-17:15 Yuri Simone et al.: Scorpion Fauna of northwestern Saudi Arabia
17:15-17:30 Maria Chatzaki et al.: An update of the spiders of Greece: diversity, knowledge gaps and conservation
Biogeography
17:30-17:45 Laura Montes de Oca et al.: Diversity and origin of the endemic tunnel-web spider family Porrhothelidae (Mygalomorphae) from New Zealand
17:45-18:00 Nathan Viel** et al.: Niche-biotope duality and population genetics to reconstruct the geographic range expansion history of the spider species Zodarion rubidum Simon, 1914
18:00-18:15 Kyunghoon Jeong** et al.: Biogeographical analyses showed the multiple dispersal history of Allochthonius in East Asia
Tuesday 2/9/2025
PARALLEL SESSION 1. MAIN LECTURE ROOM.
9:00-11:00 Behavioral Biology
Chair Vladislav Ivanov
9:00-9:15 Filip Solar* et al.: Polysphincta group Parasitoids associated with sheet web spiders
9:15-9:30 Vincent Jackel* et al.: Jump Scare: Biomechanics of reverse jumping in arboreal sac spiders (Clubiona corticalis)
9:30-9:45 YiChi Li* et al.: Spider predatory aggressiveness exhibits diverse personality and plasticity associations and complex neurophysiological mechanisms
9:45-10:00 Sammi Huang* et al.: Effects of biotic and abiotic factors on spiders’ web phenotypic and material properties adaptation
10:00-10:15 Rok Golobinek* et al.: Orb web asymmetry is explained by constraints in running speed
10:15-10:30 Ren-Chung Cheng et al.: Urbanization alters web architecture and body coloration in a nocturnal orb-weaving spider
10:30-10:45 Ming-yu Lee: Body coloration associated with female pre-existing biases in nocturnal spiders
10:45-11:00 Jonas Wolff et al.: Hyper-elastic reeled radii enable swinging strike movements in netcasting spiders (Deinopidae)
PARALLEL SESSION 2. SMALL LECTURE ROOM.
9:00-11:00 Taxonomy; Morphology & Anatomy; Applied Arachnology
Chair Nuria Macías-Hernández
Taxonomy
9:00-9:15 Kaïna Privet et al.: (How to) Make Paris’ spider collection great again
9:15-9:30 Armine Kosyan et al.: Ground spider diversity in Armenia: New records of the family Gnaphosidae
9:30-9:45 Peter Jäger et al.: 5 - 50 - 500 - 50,000 - 500,000 — Revision of the genus Heteropoda in Laos
9:45-10:00 Yuri Marusik et al.: On the araneoid-nicodamoid relationships, once again: evidence from cuticular microstructures (Araneae: Araneomorphae: Araneoidea, Nicodamoidea)
Morphology & Anatomy
10:00-10:15 Josefine Kreuz* et al.: Comparative Morphology of the Spinning Apparatus of Spiders
10:15-10:30 Anna Derdak* et al.: The gross morphology and ultrastructure of egg envelopes in Parasitengona mites (Chelicerata: Acariformes)
Applied Arachnology
10:30-10:45 Anděla Šimečková* et al.: Interspecific foraging response to thiacloprid treatment of top spider predators
10:45-11:00 Nicola Sullivan* et al.: Prey capture abilities of horticultural spider species with and without vibrational disturbance
11:00-11:30 COFFEE BREAK
11:30-12:30 PLENARY TALK. Simona Kralj-Fišer: Unraveling Sexual Size Dimorphism in Spiders: Current Insights and Emerging Frontiers
Chair Matjaž Gregorič
12:30-13.00 Behavioral Biology
Chair Matjaž Gregorič
12:30-12:45 Valeria Arabesky et al.: Spiky or smooth: How should widow spiders construct their egg sacs?
12:45-13:00 Tzu-Chi Yuan* et al.: Spiders adjust orb web architecture and performance across an elevation gradient
13:00-14:30 LUNCH BREAK
14.30-17.15 Symposium “How arachnids experience their world: senses, brain, development and behaviour”
Chair Gabriele Uhl
14:30-14:40 Gabriele Uhl: Symposium introduction
14:40-15:10 Symposium Plenary. Massimo De Agrò et al.: Biological point-light displays scanning by the principal eyes of a jumping spider
15:10-15:25 Andres Rivera: Brains behind the eyes: Unraveling visual system evolution in spiders
15:25-15:40 Marcial Antonio Galan Sanchez* et al.: The evolution of eye loss in spiders (Arachnopulmonata, Araneae)
15:40-15:55 Morgan Oberweiser* et al.: Pre- and post-copulatory consequences of male vibratory courtship performance in the nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis
15:55-16:25 COFFEE BREAK
16:25-16:40 Yoram Zvik* et al.: Less is more: Chemical minimalism as myrmecophile evolution toward invisibility
16:40-16:55 Andreas Fischer: Tracing spider scent: A new analytical workflow for identifying pheromones and a call for collaboration
16:55-17:10 Gabriele Uhl et al.: The Chemosensory Toolkit of a Cursorial Spider
17:10-17:15 Gabriele Uhl: Symposium wrap up.
17:15-18:30 Physiology & Adaptations; Applied Arachnology
Chair Domagoj Gajski
Physiology & Adaptations
17:15-17:30 Weronika Porc* et al.: Assessment of the effects of electromagnetic radiation on apoptosis and stress protein biomarkers in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum
17:30-17:45 Izabela Jędrzejowska et al.: Is Chelifer cancroides a purely matrotrophic pseudoscorpion?
17:45-18:00 Eran Gefen: Respiratory gas exchange, metabolic fueling and locomotor activity in scorpions
18:00-18:15 Carolina Ortiz Movliav* et al.: Winter warming increases metabolic stress and mortality in an overwintering spider
Applied Arachnology
18:15-18:30 Andreea Rebeka Zsigmond et al.: Where is better to live? Influence of the habitat on the mineral element content of wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi)
18:45-20:15 Guided tour of Zadar Old Town, timed for the sunset at Monument to the Sun. Meeting in front of the main venue building.
Social activity in Brlog Brewery
Wednesday 3/9/2025
Mid-conference excursions
20:30 Peace party at Barbakan restaurant
Thursday 4/9/2025
9:00-10:00 PLENARY TALK. Mark Harvey: The wonderful world of pseudoscorpions and the quest for the ultimate phylogeny
Chair Dora Hlebec
10:00-11:00 Biodiversity & Community Ecology
Chair Adria Bellvert
10:00-10:15 Andrea Baldissari* et al.: Optimizing spider community monitoring: testing the effects of sampling effort and season
10:15-10:30 Emanuele Crepet* et al.: Niche segregation in three crab spider species (Araneae: Thomisidae)
10:30-10:45 Christian Komposch et al.: BioBlitzes - A waste of time or valuable biodiversity research. Potential and limitations of a 24 hours mapping. (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Scorpiones)
10:45-11:00 Jeremy Miller et al.: The jumping spiders of Wallacea: Occurrence patterns and predictions
11:00 GROUP PHOTO
11:05-11:30 COFFEE BREAK
11:30-13:00 Biodiversity & Community Ecology
Chair Jeremy Miller
11:30-11:45 Nuria Macías-Hernández et al.: Community assembly and biodiversity drivers on islands and continents
11:45-12:00 Manuel Marquerie-Córdoba* et al.: A spider on the fourth corner: how microhabitat preference reshapes functional space and trait-environment relationships in Iberian spiders
12:00-12:15 Christoph Muster et al.: Time series of pitfall trap data reveal contrasting abundance trends in ground hunting versus web-building spiders
12:15-12:30 Anna Piquet* et al.: Spiders as effective indicators of urban ecological change: comparative patterns across arthropod taxa and cities
12:30-12:45 Lea Ružanović* et al.: A summer with spiders: Dispersal and assemblage composition during the drying of a Mediterranean intermittent river
12:45-13:00 Marco Tagliabue et al.: Spiders in the tundra: how communities assemble at archaeological sites
13:00-14:30 LUNCH BREAK
14:30-16.15 Biodiversity & Community Ecology; Ecology & Ecosystem Roles; Conservation & Management
Chair Pedro Cardoso
Biodiversity & Community Ecology
14:30-14:45 Alexandr Vasiliev* et al.: Spiders (Araneae) of the Duruitoarea Canyon (Republic of Moldova): diversity on Former Sarmatian Sea Land
14:45-15:00 Raphaël Grellety* et al.: Cut less, save more: partial cutting to conserve boreal forest spiders in Canada
15:00-15:15 Alireza Zamani et al.: Persian silk road: diversity and distribution patterns of Iranian spiders under sampling bias
Ecology & Ecosystem Roles
15:15-15:30 Julia Lamprecht* et al.: Penthouse spiders and harvestmen - Canopy research in the Eastern Alps (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones)
Conservation & Management
15:30-15:45 Anna Maka* et al.: Ecology-informed conservation of the Diamond-backed Spider (Thanatus formicinus) in England, UK
15:45-16:00 Miguel Sousa* et al.: Small scale spider biodiversity assessments as testing ground for environmental filtering under global warming
16:00-16:15 Caroline Fukushima et al.: A hairy business: investigating the interplay of species traits and trade dynamics in the tarantula pet market
16:15-16:45 COFFEE BREAK
16:45-17:45 Conservation & Management
Chair Stefano Mammola
16:45-17:00 Harriet Kinga* et al.: Spiders as monitoring tools of restored forests in Ghana
17:00-17:15 Marco Tolve* et al.: Tracking climate-driven trait variation in Vesubia jugorum (Araneae, Lycosidae): insights from a multi-year monitoring program in the Maritime Alps
17:15-17:30 Eva Liznarova: Restoration of degraded wetland: How management measures shape spider community
17:30-17:45 Cor Vink et al.: The rather unpleasant smell of success - Developing a pheromone tool for the eradication of Latrodectus hasseltii in New Zealand
17:45-19:15 Poster session with refreshments. Please check the list of Poster presentations organized by sessions below.
21:00 Congress dinner at Arsenal
Friday 5/9/2025
9:30-10:30 PLENARY TALK. Stefano Mammola: A deep dive into Europe's subterranean spiderverse
Chair Martina Pavlek
10:30-13:45 Symposium “Science Beneath the Surface: Cave Arachnid Ecology, Diversity, and Evolution”
Chair Efrat Gavish-Regev
10:30-10:45 Efrat Gavish-Regev: Symposium introduction
10:45-11:00 Darrell Ubick: Troglomorphy in Phalangodidae (Opiliones) (virtual talk)
11:00-11:15 Evgenia Propistsova* et al.: All eyes on caves: comparative anatomy of eyes and brains of the cave funnel-web spider genus Tegenaria Latreille, 1804 (Araneae: Agelenidae)
11:15-11:45 COFFEE BREAK
11:45-12:00 Nikola Pischiutta et al.*: Genetic and morphological diversity of the cave spider Stalagtia hercegovinensis
12:00-12:15 Guilherme Prado* et al.: Uncovering hidden diversity: Taxonomy and conservation of Brazilian cave pseudoscorpions
12:15-12:30 Dora Hlebec et al.: Genomic insights into the evolution of two highly troglomorphic pseudoscorpions from the Dinarides
12:30-12:45 Marc Domènech et al.: Widespread but not uniform: cryptic diversity in the cave-adapted pseudoscorpion Troglobisium racovitzai (Ellingsen, 1912)
12:45-13:00 Peter Kozel et al.: A preliminary overview of harvestmen (Opiliones) in Dinaric Karst caves
13:00-13:15 Mert Elverici: Adaptive trait divergence and functional morphological diversity in Anatolian subterranean spiders (Araneae: Linyphiidae)
13:15-13:30 Adrià Bellvert et al.: Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see: Distributional range size drivers for subterranean spiders
13:30-13:45 Efrat Gavish-Regev: Symposium wrap up and discussion
13:45-15:00 LUNCH BREAK
15:00-16:15 Ecology & Ecosystem Roles; Other
Chair Yael Lubin
Ecology & Ecosystem Roles
15:00-15:15 Peter Kozel et al.: Predictive ecological niche modeling and niche segregation in two harvestman species, Gyas annulatus and G. titanus, in Slovenia
15:15-15:30 Stephane Mutel et al.: Benefits of floods on riparian spider biodiversity and physiology
15:30-15:45 Pedro Cardoso et al.: Ecosystem services provided by spiders
15:45-16:00 Matjaž Gregorič et al.: Which web to invade? The distribution of Argyrodine kleptoparasites among host webs
16:00-16:15 Walter Schuit: Visibility of spiders, of webs and other things
Other
16:15-16:30 Henning Clausen: Some thoughts on design and interpretation of ecological research projects
16:30-17:00 COFFEE BREAK
17:00-18:30 ESA General Assembly
Poster presentations
Session 1: Applied arachnology
1. Peter Koomen: Belly shots boost upside down spider identification
2. Thomas Roberts-McEwen* et al.: Exploring the use of the group-living spider Cyrtophora citricola (Araneae: Araneidae) as a biological control agent in a biodynamic greenhouse agroecosystem
Session 2: Behavioral Biology
3. Fernando Cortés-Fossati* et al.: Arid vs. productive landscapes: predatory efficiency in Steatoda paykulliana
4. Chungha Hwang* et al.: When less is more: male dwarfism as a potential adaptation to avoid female cannibalism in Trichonephila clavate
5. Thiago Kloss et al.: Puppet masters: the hidden mechanisms behind parasite-induced behavior in spiders
6. Jonathan Madec* et al.: Micaria sociabilis and batesian mimicry, a pilote experiment
7. Yael Lubin et al.: The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) shares a parasitoid with native widow spiders
Session 3: Biodiversity & Community Ecology
8. Iva Čupić et al.: Species diversity and population density of web spinning spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in urban areas
9. Zeana Ganem* et al.: Shadows and sunshine: slope-driven divergence in zodariid spiders and the discovery of Lachesana salam
10. Veronika Grygarova* et al.: The impact of a wildfire on spider communities in temperate forest landscape
11. Alanah Kripp et al.: Indirect effects of a mosquito larvicide on riparian spiders
12. Ondřej Machač: Spiders in tree cavities in Czechia
13. Nuria Macías-Hernández et al.: Spatial and temporal analysis of spider diversity in Teide National Park (Canary Islands)
14. Julijana Matković* et al.: Hidden predators of Plitvice Lakes: spiders and carabids under tourism pressure
15. Thairine Mendes-Pereira et al.: Zombies in the tropics: the fungus Gibellula manipulates nine spider families in the Atlantic and Amazon forests
16. Morena Nava* et al.: High-throughput sequencing of Iberian spiders for biodiversity monitoring and conservation
17. Jana Niedobová et al.: How local and microhabitat conditions shape overwintering spider assemblages in leaf litter
18. Jana Niedobová et al.: Vertical distribution of spiders in forest stands: implications for biodiversity assessment
19. Brogan Pett* et al.: Spider community composition and functional changes in Mariarano forest reserve, NW Madagascar
20. Aleksandra Rozumko* et al.: Above the researchers’ heads: Spider assemblages on green roofs in NE Poland
21. Ferenc Samu et al.: Tracking spider invasion: the spread and ecological impact of Mermessus trilobatus in Hungary
22. Karin Urfer et al.: Reclaiming the unwanted: mining scientific gold from forest reserve bycatch
23. Yuval Zaltz* et al.: Determinants of cave spider trophic interactions and competition
24. Noushig Zarikian et al.: Drying Lands: spiders of the changing semi-desert lands of Armenia
Session 4: Biogeography
25. Milda Riepšaitė et al.: Species distribution models, sampling bias, and country distribution maps: spider edition
26. Sharon Warburg et al.: Regards from the Miocene: Ayyalonia - a climatic relict Israeli endemic troglobitic pseudoscorpion genus
Session 5: Conservation & Management
27. Luca Borio* et al.: Conservation ecology of the Italian red devil spiders (Araneae, Dysderidae)
28. Róbert Gallé et al.: Landscape composition and vegetation structure in solar parks affect spider diversity
29. Ruth Neeßen* et al.: Island endemics under threat: monitoring, conservation, and recovery of Madeiran wolf spiders (Araneae, Lycosidae, Hogna)
30. Milan Řezáč: How simple enrichment elements in non-production habitats in fields diversify the spider fauna
Session 6: Ecology & Ecosystem Roles
31. Anna Piquet* et al.: Shrub connectivity modulates spider-prey networks and plastic accumulation in cities
32. Urszula Suprunowicz* et al.: Taking care of the alien: Parasitoids in the egg sacs of wolf spiders (Lycosidae)
Session 7: Evolutionary Biology & Genomics
33. Agata Kostro-Ambroziak et al.: An evolutionary arms race: spider egg sac parasitoids and active maternal care by the spider
34. Anna Maka* et al.: Conservation genomics and eDNA monitoring of the Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius) in England and Wales, UK
35. Luka Žarković* et al.: Phylogenetic allometry in orb web size and performance
Session 8: Faunistics & Distribution
36. Ľudmila Černecká et al.: Halloween in February? Mass occurrence of the linyphiid Oedothorax apicatus in the fields
37. Petr Dolejš et al.: One or eight legs? Spiders (Araneae) and harvestmen (Opiliones) collected during a malacological expedition to Ukraine
38. Tommaso Fusco* et al.: Araneofauna of Posidonia Oceanica banquette of Sant'Agostino (Civitavecchia, Italy): an ecosystem between land and sea
39. Marco Isaia et al.: Araneae.it version 2.0: a new updated version of the digital catalogue of the Italian Spiders
40. Tomislav Kos et al.: Spiders of Zadar County, an endemic species and new records within the MEDITRATRI project
41. Marco Tolve* et al.: Spider diversity and conservation in the Tuscan Archipelago: insights from a biogeographic and taxonomic survey
42. István Urák et al.: New records and rare species of spiders in the reed beds of Danube Delta
43. Ondrej Vanek* et al.: Overlooked? Spreading? A contribution to the distribution of Cortestina thaleri in central Europe
44. Konrad Wiśniewski et al.: New faunistic, taxonomic and molecular data on Salticidae of Madagascar
Session 9: Morphology & Anatomy
45. Valeria Arabesky et al.: Fine structure of egg sac walls in Latrodectus species: A comparative SEM study
46. Jori Oskari Heykes* et al.: Morphology and function of female genital damage in the orb-weaving spider Larinioides cornutus
47. Jens Runge et al.: Functional implications of pleural sclerotization for the prosomal haemolymph pressure pump in Dysderidae
48. Jens Runge et al.: Encapsulated prosoma and the consequences for haemolymph pressure generation in Perania nasuta (Pacullidae)
Session 10: Physiology & Adaptations
49. Svea Carlotta von Einem* et al.: Effect of autumn temperature on development, survival and cold tolerance on spiderlings of the wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi (Scopoli, 1772)
50. Arnold Garbiec et al.: Adaptations to matrotrophy in the female reproductive system of neobisiid pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae)
Session 11: Systematics & Phylogenetics
51. Brogan Pett* et al.: Insights into the systematics and phylogeny of Argyrodine spiders focussing on the fauna of the Western Indian Ocean Islands
52. Helena Rothová* et al.: Spiders as hosts of wasp parasitoids
Session 12: Taxonomy
53. Donard Geci: A new species of Tegeneria Latreille, 1805 the Republic of Kosovo (Araneae: Agelenidae)
54. Ádám Sándor Mayer* et al.: Treasure island: the exploration of the salticid fauna of Batanta (Indonesia)
55. Milan Řezáč et al.: Revision of Harpactea spiders (Araneae: Dysderidae) of the western Balkan countries
56. Yuri Simone et al.: Systematic revision of the European species of Buthus leach, 1815 (Scorpiones: Buthidae)
57. Marco Tagliabue et al.: French Guiana’s spider fauna: what we know and what we could know, with some new additions
58. Hunor Takács-Vágó* et al.: A game of thorns: cheliceral ornaments of Bathippus and Canama as species limitation characters
59. Illia Uharov* et al.: Huntsman spiders (Sparassidae) from the Ivohiboro Protected Area (Madagascar)
Session 13: Other
60. Edgardo Santiago Rivera: Editing the Web: establishing CRISPR-Cas9 in Spiders
61. Jonas Wolff et al.: EvoNEST, a modular application for comprehensive species-based sampling and data management in arachnology
* Student Competition
** PeerJ Student Contribution Competition (topics in Taxonomy/Systematics/Phylogenetics/Biogeography)