Kritika Rao and Amita Kanaujia
Abstract
Spiders are essential parts of all ecosystems in which they exist, and theyâre recognized to be good markers of the diversity and health of terrestrial populations. However, the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuaryâs spiders are poorly documented, with hardly any information on their systematics, diversity, or ecology. The current study aims to look into the spider faunal richness in a few habitats in the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh, India. The chosen environments yielded a total of 65 species, divided into 46 genera and 20 families. The maximum species richness was found at Razia Taal (Site C), while the lowest was found at Hathiakunda Naala (Site D). The spiders were divided into seven functional categories based on their guild structure: stalkers, orb-web builders, ambushers, space-web builders, ground runners, foliage runners, and sheet-web builders. Finally, the highest species richness is linked to the flora and fauna of these locations. The findings of this study provide useful and up-to-date information on the diversity of species found in the Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary, and the data may be used for future spider research.