Habitats and interspecific associations of zodariid spiders in the Negev (Araneae: Zodariidae)
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2003 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Israel Journal of Zoology |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Zoology |
| Keywords | desert; environmental factors; species distribution; abundance |
| Description | We investigated the habitats and interspecific associations of eight species of zodariid spiders in the Negev desert of Israel. The spiders were collected using pitfall traps for 3 years at 10 sites as a part of a large-scale project. Zodariidae were the second most abundant family of spiders. One species, Zodarion nitidum was the most abundant of all trapped spiders (17.5%). Lachesana blackwalli showed a preference for sand, Trygetus sexoculatus, Lachesana rufiventris, Z. nitidum, Ranops expers for rock, and Zodarion judaeorum for loess. Further, T. sexoculatus showed an affinity to wadi habitats, Z. judaeorum, Zodarion cyrenaicum and L. blackwalli to plateau, whereas Z. nitidum and R. expers occurred mainly on slopes. T. sexoculatus and Z. nitidum tended to occur at northern (low altitude) sites with higher rainfall. Palaestina eremica, L. blackwalli and R. expers were more abundant in southern sites at higher altitude, but with low rainfall. |
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