A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species

Posted by
  A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species Abstract The ability to adhere to surfaces is particularly relevant for cursorial predatory arthropods like hunting spiders, which often traverse relatively complex environments characterized by large variation in substrate properties. Here, we evaluated the adhesive performance of six hunting spider species that are common in eastern temperate North America and lack specialized tarsi for climbing smooth or inclined surfaces [Lycosidae: Pardosa lapidicina Emerton, 1885 and Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer, 1837); Oxyopidae: Oxyopes salticus Hentz, 1845; Pisauridae: Pisaurina mira (Walckenaer, 1837); Dolomedidae: Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837), and Dolomedes scriptus Hentz, 1845]. We tested adhesion performance as shear load resistance (g) on a glass plate, and as the angle of failure (°) when the plate was gradually inclined relative to horizontal. Average angle of failure and shear resistance differed among ...

Spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae) in two different coffee management systems and surrounding tropical forest during two contrasting seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico

Posted by

 


Spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae) in two different coffee management systems and surrounding tropical forest during two contrasting seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on species richness, abundance, diversity, and seasonal variation of spiders in two coffee plantations with different crop management and a portion of tropical forest in two municipalities of  La  Costa region of  Oaxaca,  Mexico,  using manual collection,  foliage beating   and pitfall traps.   We collected   2,210   spiders belonging to  35  families,  100  genera  and  146  species.  The inventory includes  51  new species records for Oaxaca. Completeness values for two estimators indicate that the level of representation of inventories range from 68.25% to 78.44%, and the proportion of singletons range from 33.72% to  38.14%.  Spider abundance in the rainy season was significantly lower than during the dry season.  Spider abundance in the  Tropical  Forest was significantly lower than Monoculture site with the foliage beating method. Polyculture was the site with the lowest spider abundance with the pitfall traps. Rarefaction curves did not show significant differences in species richness between the sites and seasons. Hutcheson t-test showed that spider diversity was significantly lower in Monoculture than Tropical Forest during the rainy season. This study contributes to the knowledge of the arachnofauna of Mexico and particularly of the state of Oaxaca.

García-García, M. A., Ibarra-Núñez, G., Martínez-Martínez, L., Santos-Moreno, A., Sánchez-García, J. A.(2023) Spider diversity (Arachnida: Araneae) in two different coffee management systems and surrounding tropical forest during two contrasting seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico.Acta Zoológica Mexicana (nueva serie), 39, 1–25.10.21829/azm.2023.3912584elocation-id: e3912584