Spider Fauna (Arachnida: Araneae) in Temperate Fruit Orchards of Kashmir

The spider fauna associated with temperate orchards of three fruit crops (apple, pear and cherry) of Kashmir comprising 14 families, 35 genera and 51 species during was recorded 2008-2009. Among the recorded species, 19 belong to web-building, 20 to visual hunter and 12 to tactile hunter group. The proportion of visual hunters was highest (44.97%), followed by web-builders (31.91%) and tactile hunter (23.12%). In web-spinning spider guild, Araneus sp. followed by Neoscona mukerjei Tikader of Araneidae; Tetragnatha sp. followed by Leucauge celebesiana (Walckenaer) of Tetragnathidae; Theridula sp. of Theridiidae and Linyphia sp. of Linyphiidae were found abundant. Among visual hunters, Pardosa altitudus Tikader and Malhotra of Lycosidae; Ctenus himalayensis Gravely of Ctenidae; Myrmarachne. sp. of Salticidae; Oxyopes sp. of Oxyopidae; Setaphis sp. of Gnaphosidae and Pisaurat sp. of Pisauridae and among tactile hunters, Thomisus sp. followed by Xysticus sp. of Thomisidae; Clubiona sp. of Clubionidae and Cheiracanthium sp. of Miturgidae were found abundant in the fruit orchards of Kashmir. The maximum population was recorded under family Lycosidae (12.22%), followed by Theridiidae (12.17%) and Thomisidae (9.51%). Margalef's richness index, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Pielou's evenness index of visual hunters were greater followed by web-builders. The species richness was greater in pear orchard followed by cherry orchard while the species diversity was greater in apple orchard followed by cherry orchard and the variation in communities between species was recorded highest in pear orchard followed by apple orchard.