Species composition and relative seasonal abundance of spiders from the field and tree layers of the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve

Abstract

A survey of spiders was carried out at the Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve near Pretoria. Over a 4-year period 10 270 spiders were collected from grasses, herbs and trees. A total of 82 genera of spiders representing 27 families were recorded. Of all the spiders caught, 29,3 percent belonged to the Tetrag-nathidae, 22,7 percent to the Araneidae and 21,4 percent to the Salticidae. The proportion of spiders in each of the remaining 24 families did not exceed 6 percent of the total catch. The species composition and seasonal abundance are discussed.

Keywords

• Spiders, Araneae, seasonal changes, Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve, arachnid ecology.