Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2022 | 14(6): 21227–21238
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7807.14.6.21227-21238
#7807 | Received 27 December 2021 | Final
received 26 April 2022 | Finally accepted 06 May 2022
A pioneering
study on the spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) of Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh, India
Tanmaya Rani Sethy
1 & Janak
Ahi 2
1,2 Insect Immunity Lab, Department
of Zoology, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), Sagar, Madhya Pradesh 470003, India.
1 tanmaya.rani@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 j_ahi@yahoo.co.in
Editor: John T.D. Caleb, ERI, Loyola
College, Chennai, India. Date of publication:
26 June 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Sethy, T.R. & J. Ahi (2022). A pioneering study on
the spider fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) of Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(6): 21227–21238. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7807.14.6.21227-21238
Copyright: © Sethy & Ahi 2022. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Tanmaya Rani Sethy is pursuing
her PhD at Department of Zoology. She is working on spiders and its egg sacs in
Madhya Pradesh. Her work focuses on systematics, ecology, conservation and
antimicrobial activities of spiders and its egg sacs. Janak Ahi is working as a Professor at Department of Zoology. Her
main interest is insect physiology, insect immunity & insect tumor biology.
Author contributions: TRS
did majority of the collection of spiders from different study sites of Sagar district. She photographed and identified spiders in
the laboratory. She prepared the manuscript and data analysis. JA helped in
writing, compilation and data analysis of this paper.
Acknowledgements: TRS is thankful to the University
Grants Commission, New Delhi for providing fellowship and to the head,
Department of Zoology for providing laboratory facilities.
Abstract: The present investigations were
carried out to elucidate the spider fauna of the Sagar
district of Madhya Pradesh. A total of 1,505 spider specimens were documented
from various sites of the study area. A total of 74 species grouped under 58
genera and 22 families are reported. The family Araneidae
was the most common, accounting for 31% of the overall population followed by Salticidae, which accounted for 15% of the overall
population. Spiders belonging to seven
guild structures were identified which were then classified on the basis of their
dietary habits. Further research is needed to analyze
the behavior, biology and web patterns of these
ubiquitous creatures.
Keywords: Agroforestry, Araneidae, forest habitat, guild structure, orb weavers, Salticidae, spider diversity.
Introduction
Spiders are remarkable primitive
arthropods of the class Arachnida that live in every ecosystem on the planet,
from Arctic islands to dry desert regions (Foelix
2011). They are members of the order Araneae, which
are commonly known as spiders. Spiders can play an essential role in managing
the populations of terrestrial arthropods. Because of their small body size,
quick reproduction period, and great sensitivity to temperature and moisture
changes, they are good biological monitors of ecosystem changes and habitat
adjustments (Napiórkowska et al. 2021). Spiders are
not only ecologically significant, but also commercially beneficial (Koneri & Nangoy 2017). Spider
silk and venom have become essential industrial commodities, particularly in
the pharmaceutical industry. They are also beneficial in decreasing the
negative effects of pesticide and insecticide overdoses (Jose et al. 2018).
British explorers began studying
spiders in India in the latter half of the 19th century and
taxonomists from India carried on the work (Siliwal
et al. 2005). Presently, about 50,040 spider species classified into 4,250
genera and 131 families are described worldwide (WSC 2022) and India has 1,904
spider species classified under 490 genera and 60 families (Caleb &
Sankaran 2022). The spider fauna of Madhya Pradesh was studied by various
workers beginning from Tikader (1980, 1982a,b), Tikader & Malhotra (1980), and Gajbe
(1987–2003) in which they described several species from the families Thomisidae, Philodromidae, Lycosidae, Araneidae, and Gnaphosidae. Patil et al. (2013,
2016) studied spiders from Rani Veerangana Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary and from the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, respectively. However, there
is no information available so far on the spider fauna of Sagar
district in Madhya Pradesh and thus the present work was carried out.
Materials
and methods
Study area
Sagar district is located in the north
central region of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 10,252 km2.
It lies between 23.16–24.45 °N & 78.06–79.35 °E (Figure 1). The major part
of the district is enclosed by the Deccan trap lava flows and Vindhayan sandstones in the eastern region (Pareta & Pareta 2013). The
climate is quite harsh, with maximum temperatures of 45 0C in summer
and minimum temperatures of 6 0C in winter. The annual rainfall
ranges 1,050–1,100 mm. It has a total forest area of 2,75,924.38 ha, with
1,91,607.32 ha of reserved forests and 84,317.06 ha of protected forests (ISFR
2019).
Sampling sites
Three different habitats were
selected: forest (Malthone, Dhana 1 and Shahgarh range), agricultural (Patheriya
Jat, Rajaua, Deori) and agroforestry (Rehli,
Dhana 2, and Rahatgarh). The surveys were conducted
during October 2017 to October 2021. A total of 42 quadrates with 20m x 20m
dimensions were established in selected sites of the district.
Collection
Spider specimens were collected
by active visual searching, vegetation beating, net sweeping, and hand picking
following Sørensen et al. (2002). All surveys were
conducted from 8000 h to 1200 h, with an opportunistic night time survey
conducted as well. Spiders were collected and photographed with a DSLR camera
(Canon EOS 200D) before being put back into their natural environment. The
collected specimens were preserved in 30 ml glass vials in 70% ethyl alcohol
with proper labeling.
Identification
The preserved specimens were
examined under a Quasmo SZB-47A stereomicroscope.
Spiders were recognized to the family, genus, and species levels using existing
literatures and standard taxonomic keys provided by Pocock (1900); Gravely
(1921a,b, 1924, 1931); Tikader (1977, 1980, 1982a); Tikader & Malhotra (1980); Tikader
& Biswas (1981); Majumder & Tikader (1991); Gajbe (2004, 2007, 2008); Caleb (2016). The spider guild
categorization was based on the dietary habits and ecological traits of the
respective families (Höfer & Brescovit
2001).
Results
The Sagar
district, Madhya Pradesh is home to a variety of spider species. During the
entire study period 1,505 specimens were collected from the study area belonging
to 74 species under 22 families (Table 1; Images 1–69). The number of families,
genera, species, number of individuals and percentage of number of individuals
in particular families are enlisted in Table 2. Araneidae
was the dominant family with 19 species from nine genera, followed by Salticidae with 14 species from 13 genera. The seven
different guild types include orb-web builders, sheet web weavers, space
builders, stalkers, foliage hunters, ambushers, and ground runners (Figure 2).
Orb weavers (14 species) made up the most common feeding guild, accounting for
630 spider specimens (42%) of the overall population, followed by stalkers 373
spiders, 19 species (25%), space builders, 197 spiders, four species (13%),
sheet web weavers, 132 spiders, one species (9%), foliage runners 95 spiders,
six species (6%), ambushers 48 spiders, eight species (3%) and ground runners with 30 spiders, six
species (2%) (Figure 2). During the survey, more spiders were seen in forest
and agroforestry habitats than in agriculture habitat. Abundance of spiders was
high in 2020 and 2021 (Figure 3).
Discussion
In the present investigations 22
families have been reported from different sites of Sagar
district. Gajbe (2007), Patil
et al. (2013), and Patil et al. (2016) in their
studies reported 24, 7, and 12 families respectively from Jabalpur and nearby
places. Gajbe & Gajbe
(2004) reported that most spiders which live on the ground or in plants have
some form of camouflage. Some of the noteworthy examples of mimics seen in the
present study are the ant-mimicking spiders of genus Myrmaplata,
spiders of genus Cyclosa resembling trash,
Tetragnatha species resembling twigs or reed
tips, while Hersilia camouflage themselves
perfectly with the surroundings. Analyzing the spider
diversity patterns in Sagar district environment
provides valuable information which can be used to validate the ecosystem’s
balance. The present study was undertaken with the objective to document the
spider fauna of Sagar district and prepare the first
spider checklist of this area thus, providing a baseline data of spiders that
live in the forest, agricultural and agroforest habitats. Spiders however, face
risks such as habitat loss due to laterite mining, pollution, and changes in
land use practices. Further research needs to be carried out to ensure
efficient conservation of spiders.
Table 1. Checklist of spiders
from Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh, India.
|
|
Scientific name |
Guild |
|
|
Araneidae |
|
|
1 |
Argiope aemula (Walckenaer, 1841) |
Orb weavers |
|
2 |
Argiope anasuja Thorell, 1887 |
Orb weavers |
|
3 |
Bijoaraneus mitificus (Simon, 1886) |
Orb weavers |
|
4 |
Cyclosa bifida (Doleschall, 1859) |
Orb weavers |
|
5 |
Cyclosa hexatuberculata Tikader, 1982 |
Orb weavers |
|
6 |
Cyclosa insulana (Costa, 1834) |
Orb weavers |
|
7 |
Cyrtophora cicatrosa (Stoliczka, 1869) |
Orb weavers |
|
8 |
Eriovixia excelsa (Simon, 1889) |
Orb weavers |
|
9 |
Gasteracantha kuhli C. L. Koch, 1837 |
Orb weavers |
|
10 |
Gasteracantha sp. |
Orb weavers |
|
11 |
Neoscona mukerjei
Tikader, 1980 |
Orb weavers |
|
12 |
Neoscona nautica (L. Koch,
1875) |
Orb weavers |
|
13 |
Neoscona sp. 1 |
Orb weavers |
|
14 |
Neoscona sp. 2 |
Orb weavers |
|
15 |
Neoscona theisi (Walckenaer, 1841) |
Orb weavers |
|
16 |
Neoscona vigilans
(Blackwall, 1865) |
Orb weavers |
|
17 |
Nephila pilipes (Fabricius, 1793) |
Orb weavers |
|
18 |
Nephila sp. |
Orb weavers |
|
19 |
Parawixia dehaani (Doleschall,
1859) |
Orb weavers |
|
|
Cheirancanthiidae |
|
|
20 |
Cheiracanthium melanostomum (Thorell,
1895) |
Foliage runners |
|
|
Clubionidae |
|
|
21 |
Clubiona drassodes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874 |
Foliage runners |
|
|
Corinnidae |
|
|
22 |
Castianeira sp. |
Foliage runners |
|
23 |
Castianeira zetes Simon, 1897 |
Foliage runners |
|
|
Dictynidae |
|
|
24 |
Nigma sp. |
Stalkers |
|
|
Eresidae |
|
|
25 |
Stegodyphus sarasinorum Karsch, 1892 |
Sheet weavers |
|
|
Gnaphosidae |
|
|
26 |
Drassodes carinivulvus Caporiacco, 1934 |
Ground runners |
|
27 |
Poecilochroa sp. |
Ground runners |
|
|
Hersiliidae |
|
|
28 |
Hersilia savignyi Lucas, 1836 |
Ambushers |
|
|
Lycosidae |
|
|
29 |
Hippasa fabreae Gajbe & Gajbe, 1999 |
Ground runners |
|
30 |
Lycosa shaktae Bhandari & Gajbe, 2001 |
Ground runners |
|
31 |
Pardosa sp. |
Ground runners |
|
|
Oecobiidae |
|
|
32 |
Oecobius putus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 |
Space builders |
|
|
Oxyopidae |
|
|
33 |
Hamataliwa sp. |
Stalkers |
|
34 |
Oxyopes birmanicus Thorell, 1887 |
Stalkers |
|
35 |
Oxyopes javanus Thorell, 1887 |
Stalkers |
|
36 |
Oxyopes shweta Tikader, 1970 |
Stalkers |
|
37 |
Peucetia viridana (Stoliczka, 1869) |
Stalkers |
|
|
Pisauridae |
|
|
38 |
Perenethis venusta L. Koch, 1878 |
Ambushers |
|
|
Philodromidae |
|
|
39 |
Tibellus elongatus Tikader, 1960 |
Ambushers |
|
|
Pholcidae |
|
|
40 |
Artema atlanta Walckenaer,
1837 |
Space builders |
|
41 |
Crossopriza lyoni (Blackwall, 1867) |
Space builders |
|
42 |
Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin,
1775) |
Space builders |
|
|
Prodidomidae |
|
|
43 |
Zimiris doriae Simon, 1882 |
Ground runners |
|
|
Salticidae |
|
|
44 |
Carrhotus sp. |
Stalkers |
|
45 |
Epocilla sp. |
Stalkers |
|
46 |
Harmochirus sp. |
Stalkers |
|
47 |
Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826) |
Stalkers |
|
48 |
Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831) |
Stalkers |
|
49 |
Myrmaplata plataleoides O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869 |
Stalkers |
|
50 |
Plexippus paykulli (Audouin, 1826) |
Stalkers |
|
51 |
Plexippus petersi (Karsch, 1878) |
Stalkers |
|
52 |
Portia sp. |
Stalkers |
|
53 |
Rhene flavicomans Simon, 1902 |
Stalkers |
|
54 |
Siler semiglaucus
(Simon,
1901) |
Stalkers |
|
55 |
Stenaelurillus sp. |
Stalkers |
|
56 |
Telamonia dimidiata (Simon, 1899) |
Stalkers |
|
57 |
Thyene sp. |
Stalkers |
|
|
Scytodidae |
|
|
58 |
Scytodes pallida Doleschall, 1859 |
Stalkers |
|
|
Sparassidae |
|
|
59 |
Gnathopalystes kochi (Simon, 1880) |
Foliage runners |
|
60 |
Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) |
Foliage runners |
|
61 |
Olios milleti (Pocock, 1901) |
Foliage runners |
|
|
Tetragnathidae |
|
|
62 |
Guizygiella indica (Tikader & Bal, 1980) |
Orb weavers |
|
63 |
Leucauge decorata (Blackwall, 1864) |
Orb weavers |
|
64 |
Tetragnatha mandibulata Walckenaer, 1841 |
Orb weavers |
|
65 |
Tetragnatha sp. |
Orb weavers |
|
|
Theridiidae |
|
|
66 |
Nesticodes rufipes (Lucas, 1846) |
Space builders |
|
|
Thomisidae |
|
|
67 |
Camaricus formosus Thorell, 1887 |
Ambushers |
|
68 |
Henriksenia sp. |
Ambushers |
|
69 |
Indoxysticus minutus (Tikader, 1960) |
Ambushers |
|
70 |
Runcinia insecta (L. Koch, 1875) |
Ambushers |
|
71 |
Thomisus lobosus Tikader, 1965 |
Ambushers |
|
|
Uloboridae |
|
|
72 |
Uloborus sp. 1 |
Orb weavers |
|
73 |
Uloborus sp. 2 |
Orb weavers |
|
74 |
Zosis geniculata (Olivier, 1789) |
Orb weavers |
Table 2. Diversity and abundance
of spiders in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh, India.
|
|
Family |
Number of genera |
Number of species |
No. of Individuals |
Percentile
distribution of families of spiders of Sagar
district, Madhya Pradesh. |
|
1 |
Araneidae |
9 |
19 |
472 |
31 |
|
2 |
Cheirancanthiidae |
1 |
1 |
14 |
1 |
|
3 |
Clubionidae |
1 |
1 |
15 |
1 |
|
4 |
Corinnidae |
1 |
2 |
11 |
1 |
|
5 |
Dictynidae |
1 |
1 |
11 |
1 |
|
6 |
Eresidae |
1 |
1 |
132 |
9 |
|
7 |
Gnaphosidae |
2 |
2 |
9 |
1 |
|
8 |
Hersiliidae |
1 |
1 |
9 |
1 |
|
9 |
Lycosidae |
3 |
3 |
13 |
1 |
|
10 |
Oecobiidae |
1 |
1 |
55 |
4 |
|
11 |
Oxyopidae |
3 |
5 |
129 |
9 |
|
12 |
Pisauridae |
1 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
|
13 |
Philodromidae |
1 |
1 |
9 |
1 |
|
14 |
Pholcidae |
3 |
3 |
106 |
7 |
|
15 |
Prodidomidae |
1 |
1 |
8 |
1 |
|
16 |
Salticidae |
13 |
14 |
220 |
15 |
|
17 |
Scytodidae |
1 |
1 |
13 |
1 |
|
18 |
Sparassidae |
3 |
3 |
55 |
4 |
|
19 |
Tetragnathidae |
3 |
4 |
97 |
6 |
|
20 |
Theridiidae |
1 |
1 |
36 |
2 |
|
21 |
Thomisidae |
5 |
5 |
22 |
1 |
|
22 |
Uloboridae |
2 |
3 |
61 |
4 |
For figures &
images – click here
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