ABSTRACT
Three new Otacilia species were collected from Jiangxi Provinces, China during a survey of the spider fauna of the region: Otaciliaanfu Liu, sp. nov. (ââ), O.guanshan Liu, sp. nov. (ââ), and O.mingyueshan Liu, sp. nov. (ââ). All species are described and illustrated with photographs and SEM micrographs, and their distribution is also mapped.
ABSTRACT
The invasive Hedychium coronarium J. König (Zingiberaceae) is a competitive terrestrial herb. To understand the ecological relationships and verify whether H. coronarium impacts the mounting of spiders in the soil, 45 traps were installed, distributed in three treatments and three replicas. All spiders (292 individuals) collected between January and December 2018 were identified. The Intermediate Areas had the highest number of individuals collected and the highest diversity index, with 107 spiders collected (37% of the total), distributed in 14 species, followed by Dominated Areas with 97 individuals (33%) distributed in 12 species and Free Areas with 88 individuals (30%), distributed in 10 species. The analysis showed that the assembly of spiders in Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga does not present significant differences, these results may not be the result of chance and be related to H. coronarium. Furthermore, two families showed differences in their distribution.
A invasora Hedychium coronarium J. König (Zingiberaceae) é uma erva terrestre competitiva. Para entender como estão as relações ecológicas e verificar se o H. coronarium impacta a assembleia de aranhas no solo, foram instaladas 45 armadilhas, distribuídas em três tratamentos e três réplicas. Todas as aranhas (292 indivíduos) coletadas entre janeiro e dezembro de 2018 foram identificadas. As Áreas Intermediárias apresentaram o maior número de indivíduos coletados e o maior índice de diversidade, com 107 aranhas coletadas (37% do total), distribuídas em 14 espécies, seguidas por Áreas Dominadas com 97 indivíduos (33%) distribuídas em 12 espécies e Áreas Livres com 88 indivíduos (30%), distribuídas em 10 espécies. A análise mostrou que a montagem de aranhas no Parque Estadual das Fontes do Ipiranga não apresenta diferenças significativas, esses resultados podem não ser fruto do acaso e podem estar relacionados ao H. coronarium. Além disso, duas famílias apresentaram diferenças em sua distribuição.
ABSTRACT
Spiders are part of the soil biodiversity, considered fundamental to the food chain hierarchy, directly and indirectly influencing several services in agricultural and forest ecosystems. The present study aimed to evaluate the biodiversity of soil spider families and identify which soil properties influence their presence, as well as proposing families as potential bioindicators. Native forest (NF) and reforested sites (RF) with Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze were evaluated in three regions of the state São Paulo, both in the winter and summer. Fifteen soil samples were collected from each forest to evaluate the biological (spiders and microbiological), chemical and physical soil properties, in addition to properties of the litter (dry matter and C, N and S contents). For soil spiders, two sampling methods were used: pitfall traps and soil monoliths. In total, 591 individuals were collected, and distributed in 30 families, of which 306 individuals (22 families) came from pitfall traps and 285 individuals (26 families) from monoliths. Only samples obtained by the monolith method revealed seasonal differences in the mean density and richness of spiders between NF and RF. Canonical discriminant analysis showed the separation of these forests of Araucaria. Principal Component Analysis demonstrated the correlation of a number of spider families with certain soil properties (organic carbon, basal respiration, metabolic quotient, litter carbon, total porosity, bulk density and soil moisture). We identified 10 families (Anapidae, Corinnidae, Dipluridae, Hahniidae, Linyphiidae, Lycosidae, Nemesiidae, Palpimanidae, Salticidae, Scytodidae) that contributed most to separating native forest from the replanted forest, indicating the possibility of the spiders being used as bioindicators.
ABSTRACT
Calcareous fens are one of the most species-rich habitats of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In spite of this species richness, however, calcareous fens are still rather poorly investigated. Consequently, the data of the fen-associated spider fauna are also largely lacking. The aim of the research was to study the spider fauna of the calcareous fens of Latvia and to draw conclusions about what kind of spider species and ecological groups typically inhabit calcareous fen habitats. Spiders were sampled in the summer months of 2010, 2011, and 2012 at nine different calcareous fens of the coastal lowland of Latvia. The spider collection was performed by pitfall traps and a sweep net. The examined material comprised 6631 adult spider individuals representing 21 families and 149 species. The main spider ecological groups that dominated in the studied calcareous fens were hygrophilous and photophilous species which largely reflect the main properties of our studied habitats, all of which were wet, open mire habitats. Nevertheless, the fen arachnofauna consisted also of spider groups which are less typical for moist, sun-exposed, and alkaline environments, like xerophilous, sciophilous, and sphagnophilous species, respectively. Finally, several spider species collected in this study have not been previously reported for the spider fauna of Latvia, and many more might still be undiscovered in these unique and poorly investigated habitats. Therefore, it is suggested that calcareous fens deserve special attention and they should definitely be investigated further.
