The spiders of Pirin Mountain (Bulgaria). Taxonomic, faunistic and zoogeographical analysis. (Araneae)

321 species (Atypidae 1, Scytodidae 1, Pholcidae 2, Segestriidae 1, Dysderidae 3, Mimetidae 1, Eresidae 1, Theridiidae 21, Linyphiidae 80, Tetragnathidae 9, Araneidae 23, Lycosidae 33, Pisauridae 1, Agelenidae 18, Hahniidae 3, Dictynidae 5, Amaurobiidae 3, Titanoecidae 1, Oxyopidae 2, Anyphaenidae 1, Liocranidae 4, Clubionidae 16, Zodariidae 2, Gnaphosidae 26, Heteropodidae 1, Philodromidae 15, Thomisidae 22, Salticidae 25) have been found on Pirin mountain. They are best represented in the forest (montane coniferous belt - 269, 83.8%, montane-deciduous belt -232, 72.3%) and in the subalpine belt (101, 31.5%). In the other belts spiders are present in roughly equal proportions (submediterranean -38, 11.8%, alpine -35, 10.9%, submontane -33, 10.3%). Most characteristic is the high mountain species complex, which comprises most endemics and ancient elements, some of which are also distributed in the montane zone. Most of these elements can be regarded as neoendemics and derivatives of their respective Holarctic, Palaearctic and European sister species, which have speciated due to disjunction of ranges during the Pleistocene. A few species can be considered as remnants of an ancient mediterranean mountain fauna. So Pirin mountain can be considered as a possible centre of speciation.