Preliminary Studies on the Spider Fauna in the Residential Area of Palakkad, North Kerala, India
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Abstract
Spiders are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in the total species diversity among all other organisms. The spider diversity of Kottayi Panchayath, Palakkad district of Northern Kerala, was studied for a period of four months (November 2021–February 2022). The exploration yielded 43 species of spiders under 38 genera belonging to 14 families. Salticidae was the most abundant family with 12 species, followed by Araneidae with 8 species. The least abundant families observed during the study period were Clubionidae, Corinnidae, Philodromidae, Sparassidae, Scytodidae, and Hersiliidae, with 1 species. Based on their foraging behaviour in the field, six feeding guilds (Functional groups) of spiders were identified: scattered line weavers, orb weavers, foliage hunters, ground runners, stalkers, and ambushers. The most dominant guild was the orb web weavers, constituting 35% of the total species. Out of 43 species, 24 were wandering spiders, and 19 were web-builder spiders. Spiders foraging strategies involve alert attacks and behavioural responses through the perception of habitat vibration, while others prefer dead prey.
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