Faunistic diversity and distribution of Wolf spiders (lycosidae: araneae) in Western and Northern Mindanao, Philippines

Abstract

Despite being one of the most abundant spider families in the world, wolf/lycosid spiders are poorly studied in the Philippines. In this study, we determined the faunistic diversity and distribution of lycosid spiders from nine sampling sites in Western and Northern Mindanao. An opportunistic sampling method was used to collect samples. Non-parametric estimators and GIS mapping were utilized in this study to determine richness (genus level) and distribution. Results showed that the accumulation curves of the observed richness and non-parametric estimators did not reach an asymptotic value suggesting that the true richness of the sampling areas is much higher than the estimated values. Six genera were documented in which one genus is a new Mindanao record and another one is new to the Philippines. Distribution results showed that fewer specimens are found in forested areas and sampled specimens usually clumped in agroecosystems near water bodies. Generally, Shannon-Weiner values were found to be very low (H’= 0 to 1.29) but tend to exhibit higher values (H’= 1.23 to 1.29) in sites with field margins that are located near streams or forest patches. Results indicate the importance of riparian areas and ecotones for the diversity of wolf spiders.