Eighteen new species of the genus Orchestina are described on the basis of specimens obtained from fogging samples inthe Afrotropical region. They are O. acaciae, O. ampulla, O. clavigera, O. communis, O. cornuta, O. crypta, O. debakkeri,O. fannesi, O. fractipes, O. gibbotibialis, O. gigabulbus, O. intricata, O. kasuku, O. lanceolata, O. macrofoliata, O. mi-crofoliata, O. probosciformis and O. saaristoi. Excepted for O. intricata, they are all known from males and females, al-though those of O. debakkeri and O. probosciformis cannot be separated. One species (O. crypta) was recognized afterDNA-analysis and was found to show morphological differences with O. communis. The study revealed a series of re-markable sexually dimorphic characters most of which had not been documented so far: modified leaf shaped setae on thelabium in some species arranged asymmetrically, endites with hook shaped excrescences and rows of spectacular flattenedsetae, remarkable cheliceral setae and outgrowths, a modified clypeus, modified front legs, a preocular carapace swellingand the infra-ocular gutter. Spectacular modifications of the endites were already known from other Oonopidae. The function of the modifications is discussed.

A survey of the members of the genus Clubiona Latreille, 1904 in the Maghreb is presented. The presence of Clubiona comta C. L. Koch, 1839, C. dinienis Simon, 1878, C. leucaspis Simon, 1932, C. phragmitis C. L. Koch 1843 and C. vegeta Simon, 1918 is confirmed. Clubiona pseudosimilis Mikhailov, 1990, from the eastern Mediterranean is new to Africa and Portugal. A specimen of C. neglecta O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1862, cited from Morocco in the past, was misidentified and appears to be C. pseudoneglecta Wunderlich, 1994. The species is new to Algeria and Spain. Two new synonyms are revealed: Clubiona baborensis Denis, 1937 from Algeria = C. diniensis Simon, 1878 N. Syn. and Clubiona venusta Pavesi, 1880 from Tunisia = Selamia reticulata (Simon, 1870) N. Syn. Clubiona mandibularis Lucas, 1846 is considered a Nomen dubium. The comta group is redefined and the “genevensis subgroup” is elevated to species group, including two subgroups. A key and illustrations to the species of the genevensis group are presented and all the species occurring in the Maghreb are illustrated.

A new genus, Suffrica, is described from Tanzania and Kenya. It contains three new species occurring in the Eastern Arc Mountains and the adjacent Mkomazi Game Reserve: S. exotica, S. chawia and S. gus. They are characterized by a remarkable combination of features which has not been documented in spiders so far: a pair of femoral organs on each leg, a gland on the dorsal side of the abdomen in both sexes and a dorsal abdominal groove in males. A dual femoral organ appears to occur in species of the genus Suffasia Jocqué, 1991 and Asceua Thorell, 1887. The discovery of a new African genus close to Suffasia is remarkable since the latter genus is known only from Asia.

The Afrotropical representatives of the zodariid spider genus Asceua Thorell, 1889 are revised. Apart from the known species A. radiosa Jocqué, 1986 (Comoros, Mayotte) and A. lejeunei Jocqué, 1991 (DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria), six new species are recognized and described: A. arborivagasp. nov. (♀, Guinea), A. foordisp. nov., (♂♀, DR Congo, Guinea, South Africa), A. incensasp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. lukisp. nov. (♂♀, DR Congo), A. palustrissp. nov. (♀, DR Congo) and A. ventrofiguratasp. nov. (♂♀, Tanzania). A key to the species is provided. Some of the species have a very large distribution, which is unusual in the Zodariidae. The phenomenon is probably linked to the canopy dwelling behaviour, which appears common in the genus but unique for this spider family.

The mega-diverse haplogyne family of goblin spiders (Oonopidae Simon, 1890) has long been among the most poorly known families of spiders. However, since the launch of the goblin spider Planetary Biodiversity Inventory project knowledge about Oonopidae is rapidly expanding. Currently, Oonopidae is placed within the superfamily Dysderoidea and is divided into three subfamilies. Nevertheless, the monophyly and internal phylogeny of this family has not yet been investigated based on DNA sequence data. Hence, this study reports the first phylogeny based on ribosomal sequence data including 37 oonopid genera and representatives of all families within the Dysderoidea. These results suggest that the majority of the oonopid genera constitute a natural group. Moreover, two subfamilies Orchestininae and Sulsulinae and several morphologically defined groups e.g. the Zyngoonops- and Dysderina-groups, were well supported. In contrast, the Pelicinus-, Stenoonops- and Scaphiella-groups were not corroborated. Although most genera represented by more than one specimen were recovered as monophyletic, our study casts doubt on the monophyly of the genus Aschnaoonops Makhan & Ezzatpanah, 2011. Furthermore, the results corroborate that a low degree of body sclerotisation might be considered as a plesiomorphic trait.