Diversity of orb-weaving spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from tropical dry forest in Northern Colombia, with eleven new records for the country

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tropical dry forest is one of the most threatened and least studied tropical ecosystems despite high species diversity and endemism. In Colombia, the knowledge of spider diversity in this ecosystem is limited. Herein, we compare the diversity and species composition of orb-weaving spiders in a primary and a secondary tropical dry forest in northern Colombia. Sampling was conducted in March and May 2018 using aerial and ground hand collection methods. We collected 1106 specimens belonging to seven families and 76 species. The species Aculepeira travassosi (Soares and Camargo, 1948), Ariston aristus Opell, 1979, Eriophora nephiloides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889), Eustala conformans Chamberlin, 1925, Eustala guttata F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904, Eustala illicita (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889), Micrepeira hoeferi Levi, 1995, Testudinaria quadripunctata Taczanowski, 1879, Tetragnatha elongata Walckenaer, 1841, Tetragnatha mandibulata Walckenaer, 1841 and Verrucosa reticulata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) are recorded from Colombia for the first time. Spider diversity was significantly different among forests, and the similarity in species composition was 43%. Diversity was only 26% lower in the secondary tropical dry forest, demonstrating the importance of this type of forest as reservoirs of spider diversity.