CATALOGUE OF SWISS SPIDERS
In 1990, R. Maurer and A. Hänggi published the 'Catalogue of Swiss Spiders', containing the 875 species that were known for Switzerland at that time. But the discovery of a spider species new for the Swiss fauna is a regular occurrence, so that it is useful to publish regularly subsequent addenda to the list. By the end of 2014, it stretched to 972 species.
Several people are engaged on work relating to spiders in Switzerland; on the one hand, there are academical projects and on the other, reports submitted by amateur arachnologists. Compiling the records of all known finds is basic research for the benefit of all arachnologists concerned.
We are working with the Centre Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune (CSCF, Neuchâtel) to update the list of Swiss species and gather fundamental data in one resource. One objective is to record data, not only from more recent projects, but also from older publications and museum collections and eventually to produce a more complete and updated catalogue.
Alongside the scientific value of such work, the Natural History Museum Basel will also derive a useful benefit from this research project for the collection. Reference samples of first records of a spider species found in Switzerland will be kept here and will be available for comparison.
