A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species

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  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 (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment

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Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment

Background

Despite more than a century of research (since 1896 to the present), a comprehensive summary of the spider fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin is still lacking. The scattered and fragmentary nature of the available data hampers a thorough assessment of the species diversity and zoogeographical features of this territory.

New information

For the first time, based on original material, published scientific sources and records from open-access resources (GBIF, iNaturalist), a comprehensive assessment of the diversity of the spider fauna in the lowland and foothill arid parts of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin has been carried out. To date, this is the only and most complete list of spiders in the region.

Original records are presented, including rare and little-known species for the region, with refined data on their ranges. The quality of open-access data was evaluated and its main shortcomings were identified. It is shown that, with the involvement of experienced naturalists who maintain contact with specialists, the proportion of reliable records can be significantly higher. The results broaden our knowledge of spider biodiversity in the region and may serve as a basis for future faunistic and zoogeographical studies.

Nekhaeva A, Kim L, Ishayeva A, Ozernoy A, Sozontov A (2026) Spider (Arachnida, Araneae) fauna of the lowland part of the Balkhash-Alakol Basin (SE Kazakhstan): an integrated assessment. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e181501. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e181501