Two new Typhlonesticus (Araneae: Nesticidae) from the Alps with the description of two new species and notes on their ecology and conservation

The spider genus Typhlonesticus Kulczyński, 1914 (Araneae: Nesticidae) includes seven species, most of which exhibiting strict preference for subterranean conditions, being found in caves, abandoned mines and other subterranean habitats. In Italy the genus is represented by two species: T. morisii (Brignoli, 1975), an extremely narrow endemic species from SW-Alps showing a very high level of subterranean adaptation and T. idriacus (Roewer, 1931), showing a much wider distribution in NE-Italy and poor adaptations to subterranean life. Our recent biospeleological surveys in the Alps lead to the discovery of new populations of highly troglomoprhic Typhlonesticus that proved to belong to two new species on the basis of morphological and molecular data. In light of the rarity of these new species, we provide general information on their ecology and biogeography, including a comparative analysis of troglomorphic traits in Typhlonesticus spiders in relation to biogeographic factors and information on the conservation status, useful for assessing their extinction risk based on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) guidelines.