First data on spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from dry dipterocarp forests of Thailand

Abstract

Faunistic records of spiders in dry dipterocarp forests of Thailand are presented. Spiders were surveyed from November 2008 to December 2012. A total of 1,926 spider individuals were collected from 16 locations by visually searching, sweeping grasses and herb vegetation, beating shrubs and trees, and shifting leaf litters. Spiders were identified to 106 species in 86 genera of 29 families. The families Araneidae, Salticidae, Thomisidae, Tetragnathidae, and Theridiidae exhibited higher species richness. Several families that are rare and poorly known in Thailand were recorded, such as Stenochilidae, Eresidae, Idiopidae, Theraphosidae, and Nemesiidae. A faunistic overview of the spiders found in dry dipterocarp forest is presented. In general, the diverse composition of spiders and their guilds and the occurrence of rare and poorly known species in the Thai region confirm the high biotic value of dry dipterocarp forests. Continuing to maintain dry dipterocarp forest functions should be considered in future studies.

The dynamics of prey selection by the trap-building predatorGasteracantha hasselti

“…Web-building spiders can be highly flexible and adjust the mechanical and architectural features of their webs in response to prey availability and prey type (Blackledge et al 2011, Blamires et al 2010. They are dominant predators in various tropical terrestrial ecosystems including natural tropical forests, savannas and agroecosystems (Bambaradeniya & Edirisinghe 2009, Lamarre et al 2016, Petcharad et al 2016, Potapov et al 2019, Stefani et al 2015, Wongprom & Košulič 2016 and influence ecosystem processes through trophic cascades (Liu et al 2014, Michalko et al 2019, Nahas et al 2012, Sigsgaard 2007, Stefani et al 2015. Their effect on the focal prey and the functioning of tropical ecosystems varies greatly.…”