Surface and leaf‐litter arthropods in the coastal forests of Tanzania

Abstract

Surface and leaf litter arthropod assemblages of the seasonal lowland coastal forests of eastern Tanzania were investigated from eleven sites over a 3‐year period (1991–93). Pit‐fall trap data show that four groups comprise more than 10% of the total sample: ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, 31%), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera, 22%), beetles (Coleoptera: 17.39%) and spiders (Araneae: 13.48%). Arthropod abundance varies considerably with season, with greater total numbers of arthropods in all groups found in wetter periods. Arthropod abundance also varies considerably according to habitat, with greatest numbers found in forests with the most intact canopy cover, and in valley‐bottom forest as compared to ridge‐top forest; the valleys are normally both wetter and with a more complete and taller canopy. Tullgren Funnel data show that over 50% of the leaf litter fauna comprises tiny arthropods of the groups Collembola and Acarina. Abundance of arthropods in the leaf litter of these forests varies from a maximum of ≈ 16,000 m–2, to a minimum of 780 m–2. Abundance is highest in wetter periods, in the forest areas with the most intact canopy cover, and in valley‐bottom as opposed to ridge‐top habitats.