Abstract
Global warming and intensive transport favor the spreading of species. In 2015, three theridiid spider species were found in Poland for the first time: Kochiura aulica, Latrodectus geometricus and Theridion melanostictum. Kochiura auilica was transported in pomegranates from Turkey and T. melanostictum in pomegranates from Chile. One female of Latrodectus geometricus hung, with three egg sacs, on a web in a car imported from the USA (2015), and also in grapes imported from Chile, Morocco and RPA (2017). Effect of non-native spider species in Poland is discussed.
Highlights
Over the last few decades an increasing number of non-native spider species have been observed in Europe (Nentwig 2015)
In Europe, the number of unintentionally introduced spider species may be higher than official data indicates, because many of them are small in size, and some of them can be overlooked; determination of the spider species is rather difficult (Kobelt & Nentwig 2008)
In the present study we provide information about three spider species from Theridiidae noted for the first time in Poland: Kochiura aulica, Latrodectus geometricus and Theridion melanostictum
Summary
Over the last few decades an increasing number of non-native spider species have been observed in Europe (Nentwig 2015). This increase is favored by international and intercontinental transport (Kobelt & Nentwig 2008, Rozwałka 2008, Nentwig & Kobelt 2010, Nentwig 2015) and by climate change (Kobelt & Nentwig 2008). In the greenhouses of botanic gardens and farms, in zoological gardens spiders found suitable conditions for the development and establishment of a population (Kielhorn 2009, Rozwałka et al 2013, 2016, Nentwig et al 2017). For species that can reproduce parthenogenetically as spiders from Ochyroceratidae or Oonopidae, just one female is enough to inhabit an area (Kielhorn 2008). In the present study we provide information about three spider species from Theridiidae noted for the first time in Poland: Kochiura aulica, Latrodectus geometricus and Theridion melanostictum
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