33. Faunal diversity of order Araneae species from District Dir Lower of Malakand division, Pakistan

Abstract

Spiders are ancient invertebrate belonging to class Arachnida, Order Araneae in Phylum Arthropoda. It is a diverse group of organisms that play a vital role in biological control.  Present study was conducted in different areas of Dir Lower to find out the biodiversity of order Araneae. Spiders were collected from April 2018 to July 2019 by using different methods including Aerial hand collection, Ground hand beating, Hand picking, Pitfall traps and by Beat sheet method.  Spiders were then preserved in 80% ethanol for morphological study and were identified to specie level by using available literature. Identified families are (Salticidae, Araneidae, Sparassidae, Scytodidae, Erisidae, Thomisidae), genera are (Plexippus, Hasarius, Araneus, Olios, Scytodes, Stegodyphus and Thomisus) and species are (Plexippus paykulli, Hasarius adonsoni, Araneus mitificus, Olios stimulator, Scytodes thoracica, Stegodyphus sarasinorum, Thomisus zaheeri Crossopriza lyoni). Most dominant family was Salticidae. The diversity of spiders in Dir lower is not explored yet and very little information’s are there about the systematics, ecology and diversity. Most of the species are recorded for the first time from the area while Hasarius adonsoni, Olios stimulator, Stegodyphus sarasinorum and Scytodes thoracica are recorded for the 1^st time from Pakistan. This study will serve as a base for further exploration of the fauna of spiders in Dir Lower and Pakistan.

Keywords: Arthropoda; Dir Lower; Salticidae; Spiders; Taxonomy

http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2021.100093