Spider diversity (Arachnida; Araneae) in different plantations of Western Ghats, Wayanad region, India

Abstract

The study was conducted to explore the spider diversity in different plantations of Western Ghats Wayanad, Kerala state, India. The investigation was carried out for the period from February 2019 to February 2020. A total of 100 species belonging to 74 genera under 20 families were recorded from the selected habitats. This represents 51% families recorded from the Western Ghats, Kerala. The highest species richness was found in the coffee plantation (site A) with 56 species belonging to 12 families. The tea plantation (site B) recorded 27 species belonging to 11 families. The rubber plantation (site C) showed the lowest species richness with 17 species belonging to ten families. Guild structure analyses of the collected spiders revealed nine functional groups viz.., orb-web builders, stalkers, ambushers, cob-web builders, ground runners, foliage runners, tent web builders, sheet-web builders and funnel web builders. The pattern and the architecture of webs varied among different families. During the period of study, five different web patterns were recorded- orb web, tent web, cob web, sheet web and funnel web. It is concluded that the structure of the vegetation is expected to influence the diversity of spiders in different plantations.

Study of diversity and population status of araneid fauna of Talash Valley, Dir (L) Pakistan

“…studied fauna differ in different locations, which is important regarding species richness and diversity (Jarrio et al 2016). Habitat heterogeneity has been shown to have a significant impact on the abundance and diversity of spider species in natural and agricultural ecosystems (Shabnam et al 2021). Thanks to the web that allows spiders to create many places on the ground, they can survive in extreme weather conditions from one place to another.…”