Preliminary Survey of Spiders (Araneae: Arachnida) in Sadar Tehsil of Auraiya District, Uttar Pradesh, India

A total of 76 species of spiders described under 48 genera belonging to 16 families were recorded in the sadar subdistrict of district Auraiya, Uttar Pradesh, India during the present study. Among them, the family Araneidae included more than one-third of the species (38.15%) followed by Lycosidae (11.84%) and Salticidae (10.52%) and rest of the families comprised less than 10% of the species composition. Four species, Cyclosa moonduensis, Cyclosa mulmeinensis, Gibbaranea bituberculata and Pardosa pusiola were recorded for the first time in Uttar Pradesh. Orb weavers (50.0%) formed the most dominant guild followed by ground runners (18.1%). Stalkers (15.3%), and space or 3D web builders (8.3%), ambushers and foliage runners (4.2% each) and ambushers (5.1%) were less common in the study area. Such surveys are vital for conservation of these arthropods which are helpful for natural pest control and regarded as good indicators of habitat quality.