Centromerus europaeus (Simon, 1911)

Bosmans, Robert, Cardoso, Pedro & Crespo, Luis Carlos, 2010, A review of the linyphiid spiders of Portugal, with the description of six new species (Araneae: Linyphiidae) 2473, Zootaxa 2473 (1), pp. 1-67 : 12

Centromerus europaeus (Simon, 1911)

Description: At present, there are no good illustrations allowing a positive identification of this species. The species is eye-less and was originally described from a cave in the French Alpes Maritimes. Later, eye-less Centromerus species have been cited as C. europaeus from several other caves in Spain and Algeria ( Fage 1931) and Portugal ( Machado 1942), but good illustrations of male palps or epigyna have never been published. As cave species are mostly highly endemic, the identifications from Portugal, Spain and Algeria are not reliable. Only the redescription of the type material and a re-examination of all the material cited can resolve this question.

Previous records: Leiria: Ansião, Algar da Lapa ( Machado 1942) .

Distribution: Spain, France, Algeria, Balkans.

Habitat type: Troglobiont species, only found in the permanent darkness areas of caves.

Phenology: Unknown.