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170 Carolinea 77 (2019) 2016), both of which possess a normal sized emergent nymphal famulus. Species of the Me­ tabelba cluster of genera such as Metabelba glabriseta ( E rmilov et al. 2010), Metabelba pa­ pillipes ( E rmilov 2010a), Metabelbella interlamel­ laris ( S eniczak & S eniczak 2013) and Metabelbel­ la tichonravovi ( E rmilov & K haustov 2011) differ from Belba sculpta in that although the famulus in these is minute, it is not situated in a sclerotized cup. The character state of Belba sculpta instead is characteristic of species within genera such as Damaeus ( G randjean 1954, N orton 1978a), Spatiodamaeus B ulanova -Z achvatkina , 1967 (M iko & M ourek 2010), Epidamaeus B ulanova - Z achvatkina , 1957 ( E rmilov & L ochynska 2009, S eniczak et al. 2013) and Kunstidamaeus M iko , 2006 ( M iko & M ourek 2008), all of which display a tibial associated setation of 0-0-0-0 and typically also possess spinae adnatae. 3.3 Evolutionary systematics and phylogenetics of Belba sculpta 3.3.1 Biphyletic nature of Belba The major diagnostic traits of Belba such as the trochanteral setation of 1-1-2-1 or 1-1-2-2, a genual setation of 4-4-3-3, a genual associated setation of 1-1-1-0, a tibial associated setation of 0-1-1-1 and possibly also the general absence of spinae adnatae may be considered as being ple- siomorph for the Damaeidae. The genus Belba misses strong derived defining characteristics and its heterogeneous species composition has been commented on by several authors such as N orton (1979a, 1979b), W ang & N orton (1995) and L amos (2016). The monophyly of Belba , as it is presently conceived of in the literature ( S ubías 2019 ) is questionable. In the following, I will pres- ent morphological evidence which indicates that Belba may be biphyletic. 3.3.2 Species groups within Belba The subgenus Belba ( Belba ) is here seen as consisiting of two morphologically very distinct species clusters, the Belba corynopus species group and the Belba sculpta species group, both of which differ from Belba ( Protobelba ) N orton , 1979, in the absence of spinae adnatae. The Belba corynopus group encompasses the spe- cies Belba paracorynopus , B . pseudocorynopus M ärkel & M eyer , 1960, B . patelloides ( M ichael , 1890) and B . unicornis E nami , 1994, as well as the namegiving type species of the genus, Belba corynopus . The Belba sculpta group differs from the B . cory­ nopus group in: 1) Postbothridial tubercle Ba not extremely la- terally positioned. 2) Bothridia more medially positioned, not loca- ted at lateral margin of prodorsum. 3) Notogaster of normal height (height to length ratio is about 0,4:1) instead of notogaster high in lateral perspective (ratio of notogas- tral height to length is 0,55:1-0,7:1). 4) Notogaster usually without nymphal scalps and always without a compact mass of de- tritus instead of notogaster carrying nymphal exuviae and a compact mass of debris. 5) Seta ad3 much more laterally inserted. 6) Cerotegument mainly filamentous instead of mostly reticulate. 7) Epimere II with only 1 seta instead of epime- ral neotrichy with presence of 3 or 4 setae on epimere II. 8) Nymphs without porose apodemes instead of nymphs with porose sejugal apodeme and sac-like porose vestibules from apodemes I and II, where known. 9) Nymphal famulus regressed, sunken in a sclerotized cup, instead of nymphal famulus of normal length, emergent, where known. 10) Femoral setation formula 7-6-4-4 versus 7-7- 5-5. 11) Associated seta d of tibia IV smooth and al- ways longer than solenidion, frequently twice as long as the solenidion instead of barbed and shorter than solenidion. Character states 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10 of the co­ rynopus group may be considered as being de- rived within the Damaeidae. In the traits 5, 9 and 11 the character state of the sculpta group re- presents the derived one instead, with that of the corynopus grouping being the plesiomorph state. A reticulate and a filamentous cerotegument are both derived with respect to the plesiomorph on- togenetically earlier granular one. The Belba sculpta species group is a Eurasian clade consisting of altogether 13 described spe- cies, namely Belba sculpta , B . aurata K ulijev , 1967, B . bulanovae , B . cornuta , B . daghesta­ nica B ulanova -Z achvatkina , 1962, B . dubinini, B . flammeisetosa , B . heterosetosa B ayartogtokh , 2004, B . meridionalis , B . prasadi , B . sarvari T ol ­ stikov , 1996, B . sasakawai and B . tenuisetosa B ulanova -Z achvatkina , 1962. The exact phylogenetic affinities of the Dossen- wald Belba sculpta within the sculpta group are not resolved. The species shares a strong syna-