Arachnid Assemblage Composition Diverge between South- and North-Facing Slopes in a Levantine Microgeographic Site

Finkel, M., Ben-Asher, A., Shmula, G., Armiach Steinpress, I., Ganem, Z., Hammouri, R., Garcia, E., Szűts, T. & Gavish-Regev, E. (2024). Diversity 16 (9): 540.

Original paper DOI: 10.3390/d16090540

Authors

Meir Finkel Amit Ben-Asher Gur Shmula Igor Armiach Steinpress Zeana Ganem Rami Hammouri Erika Garcia Tamás Szűts Efrat Gavish-Regev

Abstract

Local microgeographic sites subdivided by sharp ecological and climatic contrasts are important platforms for measuring biodiversity patterns. Here, results are reported from 24 months (September 2019 - August 2021) of continuous pitfall trapping collection in Lower Nahal Keziv, Western Upper Galilee, Israel (Evolution Canyon II), a site with a semiarid, garrigue south-facing slope and a humid, forested north-facing slope. Analysis of ca. 1750 arachnid specimens from 70 pitfall traps indicates significantly different arachnid assemblages between the slopes. For the tarantula fauna, the theraphosid Chaetopelma concolor was the second most abundant arachnid with 116 individuals collected, found almost solely in traps installed under trees, providing new ecological data on its spatial and temporal distribution in the region.

Species (1)

Chaetopelma concolor