08 Ara 2024 Pazar
A preliminary checklist of spiders of Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University Campus, Patan, Gujarat, India
Abstract :The present study was carried out to assess and provide an inventory of the spider diversity in the Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University (HNGU) campus (23°51'50.00"N, 72°08'12.00"E), an urban area located in the centre of Patan City of Gujarat State. Field visits were carried out from October 2021 to September 2022, and collections were carried out by visual encounter and the handpicking method. Collected specimens were identified using standard identification keys and further categorised depending on their guild structure. A total of 56 species (48 genera, 14 families) of spiders were recorded from the study area, with maximum diversity recorded from the family Salticidae, with 23 species (22 genera). The guild structure analysis of spiders revealed six types of feeding guilds, of which stalkers (44.64 %) were the most abundant, followed by orb-web builders (23.21 %), ground runners (10.71 %), space-web builders (8.93 %), foliage hunters (8.93 %) and ambushers (3.57 %). Moreover, in the present study, a species Phlegra prasanna Caleb & Mathai, 2015 is reported for the first time in Gujarat state, India. The present study provides baseline information on the spider diversity of HNGU campus for future research and conservation purposes.
Arachnida, biodiversity inventory, first record, Phlegra prasanna, urbanisation