Spider (Arachnida, Aranei) assemblages of some habitats from the Kola Gulf coast: Phenological aspect

Abstract

Spiders were collected by pitfall traps in three habitats at the Kola Gulf west coast (Murmansk Province) during the snowless period of 2010. A total of 88 spider species were found, 8 of which were new for the Kola Peninsula. The assemblages of the birch forest and the road embankment were the most similar in their species composition but different in the sets of dominant species and the seasonal dominance structure; the assemblage of the maritime meadow was distinguished by the highest capture rates. The species number and abundance of spiders in the assemblages decreased from spring to autumn; the species evenness also decreased while the fraction of the dominants (especially some of them) increased. The most abundant species in all the habitats studied were found to have different periods of maximum activity.

Spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) of the High Arctic Shokalsky Island (73°N), the Kara Sea, Russia

“…A similar tendency was revealed for spiders and other terrestrial arthropods from salt marshes of the north-west coast of France and those of the North and Baltic Seas [Desender, Maelfait, 1999;Irmler et al, 2002;Pétillon et al, 2008;Haynert et al, 2017]. The maximal spider activity in salt marshes was also reported for shores of the Baltic and Barents Seas, and it was explained by a high quantity of suitable spider preys (springtails and chironomids) [Palmgren, 1972;Nekhaeva, 2015]. The absence of spiders at the first (lowest) marsh level could be due to the scarcity of vegetation and a strong influence of periodical tidal flooding and/or underflooding by sea water during storms.…”

Standardised spider (Arachnida, Araneae) inventory of Kilpisjärvi, Finland

“… Agnyphantes expunctus was the most abundant species of the inventory. This species has been previously found from pine ( Nekhaeva 2016 ), spruce ( Palmgren 1977 ) and birch ( Nekhaeva 2015 ) forests and also from open, semi-open and semi-moistured areas ( Matveinen-Huju 2004 ). This has also been considered as a northern species in Finland since 1977 ( Palmgren 1977 ).…”