New species and new records of linyphiid spiders from Israel (Aranei: Linyphiidae)

Four new species of linyphiid spiders are described from Israel: Pelecopsis levantensis sp.n., Silometopus minutus sp.n., S. pectinatus sp.n. and Walckenaeria galilea sp.n. Three species, Brachycerasphora convexa (Simon, 1884), B. parvicornis (Simon, 1884) and Thaumatoncus secundus Bosmans, 2002, are recorded from the country for the first time. A supplemented list of 43 linyphiid spiders of Israel is given, coupled with their distribution patterns. The linyphiid fauna of Israel can preliminarily be characterized as Mediterranean, with a high proportion of presumed Levantine faunistic elements (28%) and a very low share of widespread species (9%). The influence of the North African centre of linyphiid diversity on the western Levantine linyphiid fauna is expressed much more strongly than that of the Central Asian one.