Abstract
By virtue of its geological history and geographical location the Soutpansberg constitutes a refuge for a high diversity of organisms. The Western Soutpansberg forms part of the Savanna Biome and is presently the area with the highest concentration of Natural Heritage Sites in South Africa. A unique private initiative is under way to improve its national and international conservation status in a bid to conserve the mountain. A checklist of the spider species of the Western Soutpansberg collected over a five-year period is presented. Forty-six families, represented by 109 genera and 127 species have been collected. Of the species collected, 81 (64 %) were wandering spiders and 46 (36 %) web builders. The Thomisidae have the highest number of species (15) followed by the Araneidae and the Salticidae with 10 species each. Ninety-six genera are represented by a single species. Ninety six percent of the species collected are new records for the area. This survey is the first for the area and forms part of the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA).
Highlights
In ratifying Agenda 21 at the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) and the convention on biological diversity in 1995, South Africa is obliged to develop a strategic plan for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity
Compared with areas in the Northern Hemisphere ecological surveys of African spiders are sparse (Dippenaar-Schoeman & Jocqué 1997), This is true for spider fauna in conserved areas with the only check lists compiled being those for the Mountain Zebra National Park (Dippenaar-Schoeman 1988), Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve (Dippenaar-Schoeman et al 1989), Karoo National Park (Dippenaar-Schoeman et al 1999) and Makelali Nature Reserve in the Limpopo Province (Whitmore et al 2001)
As part of South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA), various projects are in progress, such as inventories of the spider fauna in different floral biomes and to determine the number of species that are already protected in existing conservation areas
Summary
In ratifying Agenda 21 at the Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) and the convention on biological diversity in 1995, South Africa is obliged to develop a strategic plan for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Meaningful conservation cannot take place if the species involved are not known. Araneae constitutes an abundant and highly successful group of invertebrates, little is known about their diversity in large parts of South Africa. In 1997, the South African National Survey (SANSA) was initiated. One of its aims is to make inventories of the arachnid fauna of South Africa (Dippenaar-Schoeman & Craemer 2000). As part of SANSA, various projects are in progress, such as inventories of the spider fauna in different floral biomes and to determine the number of species that are already protected in existing conservation areas
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
