of the Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa

22 Pages·2006·8.78 MB·English

A checklist of the non-acarine arachnids (Chelicerata: Arachnida) of
the Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland, South Africa
C. R. Haddad, a. S. dippenaaR-SCHoeman and W. WesołoWska
Haddad, C.R., A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman and W. Wesołowska. 2006. A checklist of
the non-acarine arachnids (Chelicerata: Arachnida) of the Ndumo Game Reserve,
Maputaland, South Africa. Koedoe 49(2): 1–22. Pretoria. ISSN 0075-6458.
Arachnids (Chelicerata: Arachnida) were collected in the Ndumo Game Reserve
(Maputaland, South Africa) during 11 collecting trips in the period 2000–2006. Sampling
was undertaken by various methods in eight broad habitat types: Acacia tortilis savanna;
Acacia xanthophloea (fever tree) forests; deciduous broadleaf woodland; Ficus (wild
fig tree) forests; floodplain vegetation; riparian forest; sand forest; and subtropical bush.
In total, 457 species of arachnids were collected, representing six orders, 59 families
and 240 determined genera. The most diverse order was the Araneae (46 families, 431
spp.), followed by the Pseudoscorpiones (6 families, 12 spp.), Scorpiones (3 families,
8 spp.), Opiliones (2 families, 3 spp.), Solifugae (1 family, 2 spp.) and Amblypygi (a
single species). The most diverse families all belonged to the Araneae: Salticidae (82
spp.), Thomisidae (56 spp.) and Araneidae (38 spp.). The spider diversity is the highest
recorded from any protected area in South Africa so far, and represents approximately
22 % of the country’s spider fauna. The habitat and guild associations of each species
are provided.
Key words: Arachnida, Araneae, conservation, diversity, habitats, Ndumo Game
Reserve, South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA).
C. R. Haddad, Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State, P.O.
Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa; A. S. Dippenaar-Schoeman, ARC – Plant
Protection Research Institute, Private Bag X134, Queenswood 0121, South Africa/
Department of Zoology & Entomology, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002 South Africa; W. Wesołowska, Zoological Insti-
tute, Wrocław University, Sienkiewicza 21, PL-50335, Wrocław, Poland.
Introduction potential for invertebrate research in this part
of southern Africa.
The Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR) is situ-
ated in the western parts of the Maputaland Relative to other parts of South Africa, few
bioregion in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South surveys have been conducted on the arachnid
Africa (Van Wyk & Smith 2001). Despite fauna of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, and
many distribution records are limited to spe-
its relatively small size it is one of South
cies descriptions (Lawrence 1937a, 1937b,
Africa’s most attractive reserves, forming a
1938, 1942a, 1942b, 1952). Lawrence et
RAMSAR site protecting several wetland
al. (1980) studied the arachnid fauna of
and riparian ecosystems (Ramsar 2001). At
Maputaland, with the emphasis on the fauna
NGR, a combination of subtropical climate
of the eastern shore of Lake Sibaya. Van der
and rich habitat diversity provide conditions
Merwe et al. (1996) investigated spiders in
conducive for impressive species diversity.
indigenous forests and pine plantations at the
Although several vertebrate and plant taxa Ngome State Forest, while Dippenaar-Schoe-
have been well studied (e.g. Pooley 1965; man & Wassenaar (2002, in press) studied
Dixon 1966; De Moor et al. 1977), the diver- the fauna of rehabilitated coastal dune forests
sity of invertebrates is poorly known (Had- near Richards Bay. Most recently, Honiball
dad 2003), and consequently, there is great et al. (in prep.) examined diversity patterns
IISSSSNN 00007755--66445588  KKooeeddooee 4499//22 ((22000066))
haddad.indd  2006/10/15 10:54:06 PM
Fig. 1. Location of the Ndumo Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as indicated
by the arrow
of spiders in the Tembe Elephant Park and orders (excluding Acari) were collected, the
surrounding areas. Consequently, large gaps primary focus of this study was on the spi-
exist in the knowledge of spider diversity of ders (Araneae), which was done with the
Maputaland. The question raised is whether, aim of providing a baseline for future eco-
for this group of invertebrates, Maputaland logical research. This study forms part of the
represents a centre of endemism, as is the SANSA projects in conservancies and the
case for other biological taxa such as plants Savanna Biome.
(Matthews et al. 2001; Van Wyk & Smith
200).
Study area
Although there are a limited number of pub-
lished papers dealing specifically with spider The Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR) is situ-
diversity in the undisturbed conservation ated in Maputaland, a geographical biore-
areas of South Africa, surveys have steadily gion covering the northern-most parts of the
increased during the last decade, largely KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, and
due to the initiation of the South African the southern parts of Mozambique (Fig. 1).
National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA). The game reserve borders on Mozambique
This initiative aims, in part, to provide bio- to the north (Usutu [Usuthu] River), and lies
diversity information on arachnids in South close to South Africa’s border with Swazi-
Africa’s conservancies, identify biodiversity land to the west. The NGR covers an area
hotspots, and aid conservation planning. As of 10 117 ha, and falls within the Bushveld-
a consequence, several papers have now Savanna ecozone of southern Africa (Grant
been published (Dippenaar-Schoeman 1988, & Thomas 1998).
2006; Dippenaar-Schoeman & Gonzalez-
A rich habitat variety can be found at NGR
Reyes 2006; Dippenaar-Schoeman & Leroy
(De Moor et al. 1977), but for the pur-
2003; Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. 989,
poses of this study they are grouped into
1999, 2005; Foord et al. 2002; Whitmore et
eight broad habitat types, which are briefly
al. 200).
described here. Classification of plants fol-
The relatively poor knowledge of the arach- lows Germishuizen et al. (2006):
nids of Maputaland provided the impetus to . Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne (umbrella
set up a checklist for Ndumo Game Reserve. thorn) savanna (AS)—situated in the
Although specimens of all of the arachnid south-western parts of the reserve. This
Koedoe 49/2 (2006) 2 ISSN 0075-6458
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habitat type is dominated by A. tortilis, neglecta I.Verd., Haplocoelum foliosum
Albizia anthelmintica (A.Rich.) Brongn. (Hiern) Bullock, Hymenocardia ulmoides
and A. petersiana (Bolle) Oliv. trees, Oliv., Phyllanthus sp. and Spirostachys
and has a well-developed grass layer africana Sond. The ground is gener-
(Figs 2–3), including Aristida adscen- ally devoid of any grass, and short plants
sionis L., Chloris pycnothrix Trin., C. (Asparagus africanus Lam., A. falcatus L.
virgata Sw., Enteropogon macrostachyus and Sansevieria hyacinthoides (L.) Druce,
(Vahl) K.Schum., Hyperthelia dissoluta amongst others) occur sporadically in the
(Nees ex Steud.) Clayton, Setaria sp., habitat (Fig. 5).
Sporobolus fimbriatus (Trin.) Nees and 4. Subtropical bush (ST), which covers the
Themeda triandra Forssk. largest area of the reserve, is a hetero-
2. Deciduous broadleaf woodland (BW) geneous habitat composed largely of
—situated in the southern, higher lying Mahemene thicket and Acacia nigrescens
parts of the reserve. This is a highly Oliv. woodland (De Moor et al. 977).
diversified savanna habitat, with extreme Although other habitat types can be
variations in plant composition and veg- included under subtropical bush, samp-
etative density (Fig. 4). Common trees ling was primarily carried out in these
include Acacia burkei Benth., Albizia two habitats. Dominant trees include var-
adianthifolia (Schumach.) W.Wight, A. ious Acacia spp. (including A. burkei, A.
petersiana, Combretum molle R.Br. ex karroo Hayne and A. nigrescens), Albiz-
G.Don, Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight ia species (including A. anthelmintica,
& Arn., Grewia occidentalis L., Sclero- A. petersiana and A. versicolor Welw.
carya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst., Strych- ex Oliv.), Apodytes dimidiata E.Mey.
nos madagascariensis Poir., Terminalia ex Arn., Balanites maughamii Sprague,
sericea Burch. ex DC., Trichilia emetica Euclea species (E. crispa (Thunb.) Gürke,
Vahl and Ziziphus mucronata Willd. Vari- E. daphnoides Hiern and E. divinorum
ous short shrubs, including Chionanthus Hiern), Euphorbia ingens E.Mey. ex
peglerae (C.H.Wright) Stearn, Maytenus Boiss., Ptaeroxylon obliquum (Thunb.)
sp., Olinia sp. and Teclea natalensis Radlk., Trema orientalis (L.) Blume and
(Sond.) Engl., dominate the lower strata Vepris lanceolata (Lam.) G.Don. Shrubs
of the habitat. Common grasses include and shorter plants include Carissa bispi-
Aristida adscensionis, Cymbopogon nosa, Croton menyharthii Pax, Euphor-
nardus (L.) Rendle, Cynodon dactylon, bia grandicornis Goebel ex N.E.Br.,
Dactyloctenium spp., Digitaria erian- Hypericum sp., Gardenia spp., Grewia
tha Steud., various Eragrostis spp. (E. bicolor Juss., Sansevieria hyacinthoides
lehmanniana Nees, E. rigidior Pilg. and and Tarchonanthus camphoratus L. The
E. superba Peyr.), Heteropogon contor- grass and herb layer is highly variable,
tus (L.) Roem. & Schult., Hyperthelia in some areas consisting primarily of
dissoluta (Nees ex Steud.) Clayton, Pani- the creepers Cissus rotundifolia (Forssk.)
cum maximum Jacq., P. repens L. and Vahl and Crassula sp. (Acacia nigrescens
Setaria species. woodland), while other areas, including
3. Sand forest (SF)—situated in the south Mahemane thicket, consist primarily of
east of the reserve. Sand forest is more short grasses such as Chloris spp., Dac-
typical of the Tembe Elephant Park (Mat- tyloctenium spp., Eragrostis spp. and
thews et al. 2001) and is a habitat unique Setaria verticillata (L.) P.Beauv., with
to Maputaland. Only a small patch is Cissus rotundifolia creepers found near
found in Ndumo at the bottom of Ndumo the base of trees (Figs 6–7).
hill along the southern boundary fence. 5. Acacia xanthophloea Benth. (fever tree)
Common trees and shrubs include Art- forests (AX)—situated around the mar-
abotrys monteiroae Oliv., Carissa bispi- gins of the freshwater pans Banzi, Hotwe,
nosa (L.) Desf. ex Brenan, Commiophora Nyamiti [Nyamithi] and Shokwe, in rela-
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2 3
4 5
6 7
Figs. 2–7. Savanna and associated habitats in Ndumo Game Reserve: 2–3) Acacia tortilis savanna (AS) domi-
nated by Acacia tortilis (2) and Albizia spp. (3) trees; 4) Deciduous broadleaf woodland (BW); 5) Sand forest
(SF); 6–7) Subtropical bush (SB) consisting of Mahemane thicket (6) and Acacia nigrescens woodland (7).
tively localised areas. This habitat type 6. Floodplain (FP)—situated inland from
is strongly dominated by Acacia xantho- riparian forests along the Pongola
phloea trees, with shorter shrubs (e.g. [Phongolo] and Usutu Rivers. This habi-
Carissa and Grewia spp.). Weeds such tat is dominated by the reed species
as Solanum spp. occur sporadically (Figs Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud. and P.
8–9). Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. is mauritianus Kunth, and various shorter
the dominant grass species, although the grasses and sedges, including Cynodon
taller Cyperus sp. and Leptochloa fusca dactylon, Cyperus fastigiatus Rottb. and
(L.) Kunth are also present in places. In Echinochloa pyramidalis (Lam.) Hitchc.
some areas (e.g. some sites at Banzi Pan) & Chase (Figs 10–11). Trees and shrubs
grasses were entirely absent. occur sporadically along the floodplain,
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8 9
10 11
12 13
Figs. 8–13. Floodplain and associated habitats in Ndumo Game Reserve: 8–9) Fever tree or Acacia xantho-
phloea forests at Shokwe pan (8) and Banzi pan (9). Note the differences in understory plant growth; 10–11)
Floodplain vegetation (FP); 12) Wild fig or Ficus forest (FF) at Shokwe pan; 13) Riparian forest (RF) at the
Pongola River.
and include Acacia xanthophloea, Ficus fig trees (particularly F. sycomorus and
sycomorus L., Grewia caffra Meisn., F. sur Forssk.), and is characterised by a
Gymnosporia senegalensis (Lam.) Loes. near absence of shrubs and grasses, and
and Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth., and presence of a very well developed leaf lit-
are often covered near their trunks by ter layer (Fig. 12). Other trees that occur
Monanthotaxis caffra (Sond.) Verdc. sporadically in the habitat include A.
creepers. xanthophloea, Breonadia salicina (Vahl)
7. Ficus (wild fig tree) forests (FF)—situ- Hepper & J.R.I.Wood, K. africana and
ated around the margins of the freshwater Trichilia emetica.
pans Shokwe and Banzi, and along riv- 8. Riparian forest (RF)—situated along the
ers. This habitat is dominated by wild banks of the Usutu and Pongola rivers
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haddad.indd 5 2006/10/15 10:54:12 PM
( F i g . 1 3 ) . T h is habitat is dominated by tall and by hand (grass); web-builders were collected by
trees including B. salicina, F. sur, F. syco- hand and sweep-nets; spiders were collected on or
morus, Harpephyllum caffrum Bernh., under bark with a pooter, using a modified net, or
by hand. Night collecting was done by hand with the
Olea capensis L. and Rauvolfia caffra
aid of a flashlight. Spiders attracted to light traps at
Sond., with M. caffra creepers frequently
night were also collected. Specimens were preserved
growing between trees. Shrubs present in 70 % ethanol for each site sampled.
include Antidesma venosum E.Mey. ex
The second author identified most of the mate-
Tul., Grewia caffra, Tarenna pavettoi-
rial to species level, while the third author identified
des (Harv.) Sim. and Tricalysia species.
the Salticidae. Various taxa were identified by the
A dense leaf litter layer is present, and specialists listed in the Acknowledgments. Voucher
grasses (e.g. Cynodon dactylon, Hemar- specimens have been deposited in the following
thria altissima (Poir.) Stapf & C.E.Hubb. institutions: Royal Museum of Central Africa, Ter-
and Ischaemum spp.) only occur very vuren, Belgium (Linyphiidae, Salticidae and Zodari-
idae); National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa
sporadically.
(Miturgidae, Sicariidae and Opiliones); Western Aus-
Sampling was generally limited to winter, tralian Museum, Perth, Australia (Pseudoscorpiones);
when game counts (wildlife censuses) were Zoological Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig,
Bonn, Germany (Pholcidae); American Museum of
conducted, and mid-summer. Arachnids were
Natural History, New York, U.S.A. (Scorpiones); and
collected during the following periods: July
the National Collection of Arachnida, ARC—Plant
2000 (2 weeks); November–December 2000
Protection Research Institute, Pretoria, South Africa
(4 weeks); January (1 week) and July 2002 (all other arachnids).
(2 weeks); June–July 2003 (2 weeks); July
2004 (2 weeks); February (1 week) and June
2005 (2 weeks), and January 2006 (2 weeks), Guilds observed
April (1 week) and June 2006 (2 weeks). Two main guilds can be distinguished among arach-
nids, namely wanderers and web-builders. The wan-
derers can be further divided into plant wanderers
(PW) and ground wanderers (GW). Plant wanderers
Methods
were separated and placed in a guild based on the
Sampling was conducted primarily on an ad hoc vegetation type that they were most commonly found
basis, and was not quantitative. Consequently, sam- on, namely plant wanderer on foliage (PWF), plant
pling intensity in each habitat varied considerably. wanderer on grass (PWG) and plant wanderer on
For example, sand forest was relatively poorly sam- bark (PWB).
pled, while deciduous broadleaf woodland and sub-
The web-building spiders can also be subdivided into
tropical bush were very well sampled.
different guilds based on the structure of the webs
The sampling methods for each arachnid guild can be that they build: sheet-web builders (SWB), space-
summarised as follows: ground wanderers were sam- web builders (SPWB), orb-web builders (OWB),
pled using pitfall traps, rock and log turning, and leaf modified orb-web builders (MOWB), funnel-web
litter sifting; plant wanderers were collected using builders (FWB), retreat-web builders (RWB) and
beating sheets and by hand (trees), and sweep-nets gum-foot-web builders (GWB).
Table 1
Order composition of the non-acarine arachnids in the
Ndumo Game Reserve, Maputaland
Order Common Name Families Genera Species
Amblypygi Tailless whip-scorpions   
Araneae Spiders 46 222 431
Opiliones Harvestmen 2 2 3
Pseudoscorpiones False scorpions 6 8 2
Scorpiones Scorpions 3 5 8
Solifugae Sun spiders  2 2
Total 59 240 457
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Table 2
Proportional diversity of the non-acarine arachnid orders in Ndumo Game Reserve relative to total South
African (Dippenaar-Schoeman & Haddad, unpubl.) and global (Harvey 2002) diversity of each order
Order NGR South Africa Global
Species % Species % Species %
Araneae 431 94.52 2000 78.03 36000 74.70
Pseudoscorpiones 2 2.63 135 5.27 3239 6.72
Scorpiones 8 .75 93 3.63 279 2.65
Opiliones 3 0.66 79 6.98 6000 2.45
Solifugae 2 0.44 50 5.85 087 2.26
Amblypygi  0.22 3 0.2 136 0.28
Others 0 0.00 3 0.2 45 0.94
457 ~00.00 2563 ~00.00 48 92 ~00.00
Specimens were identified in the laboratory and the other arachnid orders (excluding Acari)
placed within a particular guild. Additional notes are under-represented relative to the global
were made of the habitats in which each species was
arachnid diversity of each order (Table 2;
collected, and information on the habits of some spe-
Harvey 2002; Dippenaar-Schoeman & Had-
cies was gathered to provide a fuller picture of the
dad unpubl.). The under-representation of
ecology of the spiders within the reserve.
some of these orders (Solifugae and Scor-
piones) could be attributed to their generally
higher diversity in more arid environments,
Results and Discussion
and lower diversity in subtropical environ-
ments, in southern Africa (Lawrence 1955,
Diversity 1963; Prendini 2005).
In total, 457 species representing six orders, The most diverse families collected were
59 families and 240 determined genera the Salticidae (82 spp.), followed by the
of arachnids were collected (Appendix 1, Thomisidae (51 spp.) and Araneidae (38
Table 1). The greatest diversity was found spp.). Eighteen families were represented
in the Araneae (46 families, 431 spp.), fol- by a single species only. The total spider
lowed by the Pseudoscorpiones (6 families, diversity (431 spp.) represents the highest
12 spp.), Scorpiones (3 families, 8 spp.), number of species recorded from a single
Opiliones (2 families, 3 spp.) and Solifugae conservancy surveyed in South Africa thus
(1 family, 2 spp.). The Amblypygi was only far. Previous surveys have yielded between
represented by a single species. Compared 75 and 268 species (Table 3). It must be
to the high diversity of spiders collected, noted that the current study took place over
Table 3
Currently known total species diversity of spiders (Araneae) recorded from South African conservancies
Conservancy Families Species Reference
Karoo National Park 38 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. (999)
Kruger National Park 40 52 Dippenaar-Schoeman & Leroy (2003)
Makalali Game Reserve 38 268 Whitmore et al. (200)
Mountain Zebra National Park 34 75 Dippenaar-Schoeman (988, 2006)
Ndumo Game Reserve 46 431 Present study
Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve 27 0 Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. (989)
Soutpansberg West Conservancy 46 27 Foord et al. (2002)
Swartberg Nature Reserve 45 86 Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. (2005)
ISSN 0075-6458 7 Koedoe 49/2 (2006)
haddad.indd 7 2006/10/15 10:54:13 PM
90
80
70
60
es
eci50
p
of s
er 40
b
m
u
N30
20
10
0
Salticidae Thomisidae Araneidae Theridiidae Gnaphosidae Corinnidae Oxyopidae Lycosidae Pisauridae Zodariidae Sparassidae Tetragnathidae Clubionidae Philodromidae Miturgidae Eresidae Nephilidae Oonopidae Prodidomidae Uloboridae Dictynidae Idiopidae Theraphosidae Deinopidae Mimetidae Pholcidae Scytodidae Trochanteriidae Cyrtaucheniidae Ctenidae Linyphiidae Palpimanidae Segestriidae Selenopidae Web-building singletons Wandering singletons
Fig. 14. Species diversity of spider families collected in Ndumo Game Reserve ranked from highest to lowest.
Black bars indicate wandering spiders and grey bars indicate web-builders.
a period of seven years (11 intensive sam- Common taxa by stratum
pling trips). Furthermore, a wide variety of
Since this study was not conducted quanti-
sampling methods were used in most strata of
tatively there is no specific data available on
the habitats present, while many of the other
the abundance of particular species in each
surveys were restrictive in terms of sampling
habitat. However, based on observations and
intensity (often ad hoc sampling) or meth-
collecting frequency during this study the
ods. The survey in Roodeplaat Dam Nature following patterns emerged for each stratum
Reserve only involved the field and tree layer and guild:
and did not include ground-dwelling arach-
Ground wanderers: A large number of spe-
nids (Dippenaar-Schoeman et al. 989).
cies (Appendix 1) are wandering arachnids
on the ground surface. The community com-
Guilds position varied greatly between different
habitats. Open savanna habitats (AS, BW)
The vast majority of the arachnids collected
were dominated by various gnaphosid genera
were wanderers (75.9 %), with web-builders
(Asemesthes, Zelotes, Setaphis and Camilli-
comprising 24.1 % of the species. Amongst
na), lycosids (Geolycosa sp. and Evippomma
spiders only, wanderers contributed a much
squamulatum (Simon)), corinnids (Merenius
higher proportion of the species (Fig. 14), alberti Lessert, Copa flavoplumosa Simon
with two families (Salticidae and Thomis- and Castianeira sp.), salticids (Mexcala ele-
idae) contributing more than 32 % of the gans Peckham & Peckham, Stenaelurillus
total spider species. Two of the diverse web- and Phlegra spp.) and zodariids (Caesetius
building families, Araneidae and Theridiidae, bevisi (Hewitt), Capheris sp., Palfuria sp.
contributed 15.5 % of the spider species, and Psammorygma sp.), while Uroplectes
combined. olivaceus Pocock (Buthidae), Opistacan-
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thus spp. (Liochelidae), Brachionopus sp. sampled was AX, with a survey having
(Theraphosidae), Scytodes caffra Lawrence been conducted specifically on the arach-
(Scytodidae), Loxoscelis spinulosa Purcell nids associated with Acacia xanthophloea
(Sicariidae) and Caponia chelifera Lessert bark at five pan and floodplain sites in the
(Caponiidae) were most common under logs reserve (Haddad unpubl.). The most common
and rocks. associations with this tree species are Ceto-
nana spp. (Corinnidae), Pseudicius spp. and
The fauna of floodplain habitats (AX, FF,
Heliophanus spp. (Salticidae), various gna-
FP) was strongly dominated by wolf spiders
phosids, miturgids (Cheiracanthium spp. and
(Lycosidae), gnaphosids (particularly Zelotes
Cheiramiona spp.), Hersilia sericea Pocock
spp.), corinnids (particularly M. alberti) and
(Hersiliidae), Platyoides spp. (Trochanteri-
salticids (Thyenula spp. and Evarcha spp.).
idae) and Clubiona spp. (Clubionidae). In
Metabiantes maximus Lawrence (Biantidae)
the Ficus forest (FF) and floodplain (FP)
and Scytodes spp. (Scytodidae) were com-
a similar fauna was found, but densities
mon under logs in these habitats.
were generally lower, probably due to the
The remaining two forest types studied dif- more variable bark structure. Pseudoscorpi-
fered considerably in their faunas. Riparian ons, particularly atemnids (e.g. Titanatemnus
forest was dominated by Zelotes spp., Mere- natalensis Beier), and buthid scorpions (par-
nius alberti, Copa flavoplumosa, Thyenula ticularly Uroplectes spp. and Pseudolycus
spp., and various lycosids and oonopids. Spi- pegleri (Purcell)) were also very common
der densities also appear to be much higher under the bark of trees in these habitats.
than in sand forest. The latter habitat was
The arachnids associated with tree bark in
dominated by lycosid spiders, with oonopids
RF and SF differed considerably. In RF, the
and corinnids in lower densities.
fauna contained elements of Ficus forest,
Subtropical bush had relatively similar fau- which can be explained by the presence of
nas. Mahemane thicket areas were domi- Ficus spp. in this habitat. In SF, jumping
nated by salticids (Stenaelurillus spp. and spiders (particularly Holcolaetis zuluensis
Phlegra spp., and Mexcala elegans), lyco- Lawrence and Pseudicius spp.) were most
sids, oonopids and gnaphosids of the genera common, with lesser numbers of Hersilia
Asemesthes, Camillina, Setaphis and Zelotes,
sericea and Clubiona spp. present.
while Acacia nigrescens woodland areas
were dominated by lycosids, salticids and Trees in AS, BW and ST generally had a
liochelid scorpions. coarser bark structure compared to the afore-
mentioned habitats. Wandering spiders were
Ground web-builders: Web-builders near the
largely limited to H. sericea, Clubiona spp.,
ground surface were generally uncommon,
Philodromus spp. (Philodromidae) and vari-
and were largely limited to amaurobiids,
ous salticids.
Euprosthenops vuattouxi Blandin (Pisauri-
dae), Xeviosa amica Griswold (Phyxelidi- Web-builders associated with bark: As for
dae), Ariadna spp. (Segestriidae) and Hip- wanderers, AX also had a high diversity and
pasa australis Lawrence (Lycosidae), which abundance of web-builders compared to other
were found in contrasting habitats (Appen- habitats. The most widespread and common
dix 1). The latter species was the only species species associated with bark in the eight
that was widespread in NGR, occurring in all habitats include various theridiids (Theridion
of the habitats sampled. Linyphiid and hah- spp., Euryopis sp. and Argyrodes spp.), ara-
niid sheet-web builders were most common neids (particularly Neoscona spp.), and on
in ST leaf litter. occasion Nephilengys cruentata (Fabricius)
(Nephilidae).
Wanderers associated with bark: Due to
the variable plant composition of the dif- Wanderers on grass: Grasses were particu-
ferent habitats, arachnids associated with larly widespread in AS and BW, where a
bark varied considerably. The habitat best large proportion of sampling was undertak-
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e n . C o m m o n w anderers in these two habitats while being less frequently encountered in
include various salticids (particularly Thyene, the other habitats.
Viciria and Heliophanus spp.), Philodromus
Web-builders on foliage: The web-building
and Tibellus spp. (Philodromidae), Oxyopes
arachnids showed greater habitat variation
spp. (Oxyopidae) and Thomisus, Runcinia
than the wanderers, which could be related
and Synema spp. (Thomisidae).
to spacing between trees and shrubs in which
In the two floodplain habitats (AX and FP) webs can be constructed. The savanna and
the grass fauna was dominated by immature woodland habitats (AS, BW and ST) had
lycosids, Heliophanus spp., Oxyopes spp., higher densities of large and colourful ara-
Charminus spp. and Afropisaura rothiformis neids (Gasteracantha milvoides Butler, Cyr-
(Simon) (Pisauridae), and Thomisus spe- tophora citricola (Forskål), Caerostris and
cies. The grass fauna of ST was dominated Isoxya spp.) and the nephilid Nephila sen-
by Charminus and Oxyopes spp., with other egalensis (Walckenaer) than the other habi-
common taxa including Synema, Thomisus, tats in the reserve. In contrast, riverine and
Thyene and Hyllus species. Grasses were floodplain habitats had high densities of G.
largely or entirely absent from FS, RF and milvoides, N. fenestrata Thorell and N. inau-
SF, and consequently little data could be gen- rata (Walckenaer). The SF fauna comprised
erated for these habitats. largely of small araneid spiders, particularly
Araniella and Neoscona. Theridiid, dictynid
Web-builders in grass: The AS and BW
and araneid spiders were common on small
grasslands were a rich source of web-build-
shrubs and trees at AX, FF, FP and RF, while
ing spiders, particularly for the families Ara-
araneid, theridiid and uloborid spiders were
neidae (Neoscona, Hypsosinga, Isoxya and
common in AS, BW and ST.
Singa spp.), Dictynidae (Archaeodictyna and
Dictyna spp.) and Theridiidae (Latrodectus
geometricus C. L. Koch and Theridion spp.). Conservation implications
Most of these species construct a retreat or
The high species diversity of arachnids, and
web in the florescences of various grasses.
spiders in particular, as a single taxon group
In the floodplain habitats AX and FP, web- suggests that other invertebrate taxa may
builders primarily included various Tet- similarly display high levels of diversity
ragnatha spp. (Tetragnathidae), Neoscona, in Ndumo Game Reserve. Approximately
Argiope and Araniella spp. (Araneidae) and 18 % and 22 % of the total South African
small theridiids. Web-builders in ST grasses non-acarine arachnid, and spider diversity,
were generally uncommon due to the short respectively (Table 2), is currently conserved
grasses present, and consisted mainly of in this reserve. Thus, further study on the
immature araneids and theridiids. invertebrates is needed to discover the extent
of the richness of the Maputaland fauna. The
Wanderers on foliage: All of the habitats
high diversity of a single taxon should serve
have a well-developed tree layer and there
as strong supportive evidence of the need to
was generally a large degree of overlap in the
create awareness of the plight of invertebrate
faunas between habitats. Generally, the most
conservation, and increase the area under
common wandering spiders throughout NGR
conservation in this part of South Africa.
include many of the Thomisidae (particularly
Thomisus, Monaeses, Thomisops and Synema Species of notable conservation importance
spp., and Misumenops rubrodecoratus Mil- include the four baboon spiders (Theraphosi-
lot), Salticidae (especially Hyllus, Evarcha, dae) collected. Ceratogyrus bechuanicus Pur-
Heliophanus, Thyene and Pseudicius spp.), cell is already considered to be a threatened
Oxyopidae (Oxyopes and Hamataliwa spp.), species due to the pet trade (De Wet & Dip-
Clubiona spp. and Miturgidae (especially penaar-Schoeman 1991). The Brachionopus
Cheiramiona spp.). In particular, Philodromi- sp. is unlikely to be seriously threatened, and
dae were very common on thorn trees in AS, was encountered very frequently under logs
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