Preliminary Investigation on Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in Rani Veerangana Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, India

Sachin R. Patil; S. Sambath; Rita Bhandari

doi:10.36808/if/2013/v139i10/39545

Preliminary Investigation on Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in Rani Veerangana Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, India

Authors

Sachin R. Patil Zoological Survey of India, Central Zone Regional Centre, Vijaynagar, Jabalpur-482 002
S. Sambath Zoological Survey of India, Central Zone Regional Centre, Vijaynagar, Jabalpur-482 002
Rita Bhandari Government Autonomous Model Science College, Pachpedi, Jabalpur-482 001.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36808/if/2013/v139i10/39545

Keywords:

Spiders Fauna, Ground Hunters, Lycosidae, Habit-Wise Functional Groups, Abundance

Abstract

A preliminary study of spider fauna of the RVDWLS was carried out during 2009-2011. The present findings indicated that a total 23 spider species belonging to 12 genera under 7 families were reported for the first time from the sanctuary. Lycosidae was the most diverse family followed by Araneidae, Nephilidae, Oxyopidae, Clubionidae, Ctenidae and Salticidae. The abundance of the Lycosid spiders is mainly attributed to adequacy of leaf- litter in tropical mixed dry deciduous forest. Based on categorization of spiders into habit-wise functional groups, the ground hunters were dominating the foliage orb weavers and foliage hunters. The study has also indicated that there are new records of family, genus and species to the spider fauna of Madhya Pradesh.

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