Landscapes are heterogeneous mosaics of habitats. In Yucatan, Mexico, these landscapes have been modified by different historical events, both natural and of human origin, such as the extensive cultivation of hemp mainly distributed in the area where deciduous forest dominated. The aim of this study was to determine the diversity and spatial and temporal structure of an assemblage of cursorial spiders in a fragmented landscape by agroecological management in Yucatan. Samples were collected monthly from March 2008 to February 2009 using pitfall traps in different agroecological management areas in the landscape. More than 224 cursorial spiders belonging to 12 families, 21 genera, and 25 species were recorded. The most abundant families were Lycosidae, Oxyopidae, and Salticidae. The most abundant species in the study was Pardosa vadosa Barnes, 1959 (Lycosidae). There were changes in the spatial and temporal structure of the cursorial spiders among agroecological management areas. This might be because of microclimatic conditions caused by the type of management and by the sampling effort in each habitat.
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1 September 2014
Spatial and Temporal Diversity and Structure of Cursorial Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in a Fragmented Landscape in Yucatan, Mexico
Rubén Neftalí Arana-Gamboa,
Miguel A. Pinkus-Rendón,
Eduardo A. Rebollar-Téllez
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Southwestern Entomologist
Vol. 39 • No. 3
September 2014
Vol. 39 • No. 3
September 2014