Biodiversity Journal, 15 (1): 033-036
Spiders Assemblage (Arachnida Araneae) in Apple Orchard, Mukteshwar, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2024.15.1.33.36

ABSTRACT
A preliminary investigation was carried out to determine the variety of spiders (Arachnida Araneae) in an apple orchard selected randomly in the area of Mukteshwar, District Nainital, Uttarakhand, India. The spider sampling was accomplished by using visual searching and handpicking methods. They were also released back into their natural environments after being classified and photographed. A total of 21 spider species from 9 different spider families were identified from the research area. The Araneidae family held the most dominance over the other families i.e. Linyphiidae, Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, Philodromidae, Pholcidae, Salticidae, Sparassidae, Theridiidae, Thomisidae. Six feeding guilds, comprising Orb Weavers, Sheet Web, Wandering-Ambush, Wandering-Active, Web-Matrix, and Jumping Spiders, were found during guild structure analysis of the collected spiders.

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