Efficacy of trapping techniques (pitfall, ramp and arboreal traps) for capturing spiders

Abstract

Pitfall traps are the most commonly used method for capturing spiders. Other inexpensive methods such as ramp traps and arboreal traps are also used. Ramp traps are used mostly in situations where you cannot or do not wish to disturb the soil, while arboreal traps are used to determine the structure of spider assemblages living on tree trunks and in the canopy. Spiders were sampled from 17 localities on Kozuf Mt. and the effectiveness of four different trapping methods was compared. Overall, the largest amount of species and individuals was captured in pitfall traps. However, some of the species were only captured with ramp and arboreal traps. This, along with the previously mentioned characteristics of ramp and arboreal traps confirms the usefulness of these trapping methods for a more accurate assessment of spider biodiversity.