Distribution and importance of spiders inhabiting a Brazilian sugar cane plantation

Rinaldi, Isabela Maria Piovesan; Mendes, Beatriz do Prado; Cady, Alan Bruce

doi:10.1590/S0101-81752002000500021

Abstract

The spider fauna (Araneae) of a sugar eane plantation was surveyed monthly by hand colteetion and beating vegetation in sugar cane fields across Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Composition and rchness (family and species where identifieation to species was possible) microhabitat preferenees were reeorded, and diversity and evenness indices were calculated. A total of 1291 spiders belonging to 73 species and 20 families were collected. The most diverse families were Theridiidae, Salticidae, and Araneidae, and the most abundant ones were Theridiidae, Saltieidae, Anyphaenidae, and Araneidae, Seven species represented 58.6% of the total fauna, with Crysso pulcherrima (Mello-Leitão,1917) (Theridiidae) composing 28.2%. About 65% of the spiders occupied the upper part of the plants (above 20 cm). Five spider species were present in the sugar cane throughout crop development. Evidence of spiders feeding on sugar cane pest species was observed.

Araneae; Sugar cane plantation; spider fauna; spider diversity; natural enemies

Distribution and importance of spiders inhabiting a Brazilian sugar cane plantation

Isabela Maria Piovesan Rinaldi^I; Beatriz do Prado Mendes^I,II; Alan Bruce Cady^III

^IDepartamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Julio de Mesquita Filho". Rubião Júnior, Caixa Postal 51 0,18618-000 Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil. E-mail: rinaldi@ibb.unesp.br

^IIBolsista da FAPESP

^IIIDepartment of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA

ABSTRACT

The spider fauna (Araneae) of a sugar eane plantation was surveyed monthly by hand colteetion and beating vegetation in sugar cane fields across Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Composition and rchness (family and species where identifieation to species was possible) microhabitat preferenees were reeorded, and diversity and evenness indices were calculated. A total of 1291 spiders belonging to 73 species and 20 families were collected. The most diverse families were Theridiidae, Salticidae, and Araneidae, and the most abundant ones were Theridiidae, Saltieidae, Anyphaenidae, and Araneidae, Seven species represented 58.6% of the total fauna, with Crysso pulcherrima (Mello-Leitão,1917) (Theridiidae) composing 28.2%. About 65% of the spiders occupied the upper part of the plants (above 20 cm). Five spider species were present in the sugar cane throughout crop development. Evidence of spiders feeding on sugar cane pest species was observed.

Keywords: Araneae, Sugar cane plantation, spider fauna, spider diversity, natural enemies

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. To São Manoel Ltda Mill for allowing access to the study site, To M. Ramirez, A.D. Brescovit for the identification of the Clubionoidea, and G. Horrniga, M.A.L. Marques and G.B. Edwards for the identification of the Linyphiidae, Theridiidae and Salticidae respectively. This research was supported by grant (FAPESP) to B.P. Mendes.

Received in 07.XII.2001; accepted in 01.VII.2002.

GONZÁLEZ, A. & R.D. CAVE. 1997. Comparación de las poblaciones de arãnas foliares diurnas en frijol común bajo dos sistemas de labranza. Ceiba,Tegucigalpa, 38 (1): 45-48.
GUAGLIUMI, P. 1972/73. Pragas da cana-de-açúcar no Nordeste do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, MIC/IAA, Coleção Canavieira 10, 622p.
KASTON, B.J. 1980. How to Know the spiders. Dubuque, Wn. C. Brown Company Publishers, 3^rd ed., VII+272p.
LEVI, W.L. 1978. Spiders and their kin. New York, Western Publishing, 160p.
LUDWIG, J.A.; J.F. REYNOLDS. 1988. Statistical Ecology: a primer on methods and computing. New York, John Wiley & Sons, XI +337p.
MARC, P. & A. CANARD. 1997. Maintain spider biodiversity in agroecosystems as a tool in pest control. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Amsterdam, 62: 229-235.
NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE. 1991. A synopsis of integrated pest management in Developing Countries in the Tropics. Chattam, Natural Resources Institute, 20p.
NENTWIG, W. 1987. Ecophysiology of Spiders. Berlim, Springer-Verlag, 448p.
REYNA, J.; R. TRABANINO; M.A. AVEDILLO; A. PITTY. 1994. Inventario de plagas y algunos de sus enemigos naturales en el cultivo de arroz en Honduras. Ceiba, Tegucigalpa, 35 (1): 35-45.
RIECHERT, S.E.; T. LOCKLEY. 1984. Spiders as biological control agents. Ann. Rev. Entomol., Stanford, 29: 299-320.
RINALDI, I.M.P. & L.C. FORTI. 1997. Hunting Spiders of Woodland Fragments and Agricultural Habitats in the Atlantic Rain Forest Region of Brazil. Studs Neotrop. Fauna Environ., Tübingen, 32: 244-255.
ROTH, V.D. 1985. Spider genera of North America. Gainesville, American Arachnological Society, 100p.
SILVEIRA NETO, S.O. NAKANO; D. BARBIN & N.A. VILLA NOVA. 1976. Manual de ecologia dos insetos. Ed. Agronômica Ceres, São Paulo, 419p.
SPAVOREK, G.; L.R.F. ALLEONI & J.C. PEREIRA. 1997. Aptidão das terras de Piracicaba para o corte mecanizado de cana-de-açúcar. Revista Stab - Açúcar, álcool e subprodutos, Piracicaba, 5: 14-17.
UETZ, G.; J. HALAJ; A.B. CADY. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Jour. Arachnol., New York, 27: 270-280.
YOUNG, O.P.; G.B. EDWARDS. 1990. Spiders in United States fields crops and their potential effect on crop pests. Jour, Arachnol., New York, 18: 1-27.
WISE, O.H. 1995. Spiders in Ecological Webs. Cambridge University Press, XIII + 328

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
03 June 2009
Date of issue
July 2002

History

Received
07 Dec 2001
Accepted
01 July 2002

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

[1] GONZÁLEZ, A. & R.D. CAVE. 1997. Comparación de las poblaciones de arãnas foliares diurnas en frijol común bajo dos sistemas de labranza. Ceiba,Tegucigalpa, 38 (1): 45-48.

[2] GUAGLIUMI, P. 1972/73. Pragas da cana-de-açúcar no Nordeste do Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, MIC/IAA, Coleção Canavieira 10, 622p.

[3] KASTON, B.J. 1980. How to Know the spiders. Dubuque, Wn. C. Brown Company Publishers, 3^rd ed., VII+272p.

[4] LEVI, W.L. 1978. Spiders and their kin. New York, Western Publishing, 160p.

[5] LUDWIG, J.A.; J.F. REYNOLDS. 1988. Statistical Ecology: a primer on methods and computing. New York, John Wiley & Sons, XI +337p.

[6] MARC, P. & A. CANARD. 1997. Maintain spider biodiversity in agroecosystems as a tool in pest control. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Amsterdam, 62: 229-235.

[7] NATURAL RESOURCES INSTITUTE. 1991. A synopsis of integrated pest management in Developing Countries in the Tropics. Chattam, Natural Resources Institute, 20p.

[8] NENTWIG, W. 1987. Ecophysiology of Spiders. Berlim, Springer-Verlag, 448p.

[9] REYNA, J.; R. TRABANINO; M.A. AVEDILLO; A. PITTY. 1994. Inventario de plagas y algunos de sus enemigos naturales en el cultivo de arroz en Honduras. Ceiba, Tegucigalpa, 35 (1): 35-45.

[10] RIECHERT, S.E.; T. LOCKLEY. 1984. Spiders as biological control agents. Ann. Rev. Entomol., Stanford, 29: 299-320.

[11] RINALDI, I.M.P. & L.C. FORTI. 1997. Hunting Spiders of Woodland Fragments and Agricultural Habitats in the Atlantic Rain Forest Region of Brazil. Studs Neotrop. Fauna Environ., Tübingen, 32: 244-255.

[12] ROTH, V.D. 1985. Spider genera of North America. Gainesville, American Arachnological Society, 100p.

[13] SILVEIRA NETO, S.O. NAKANO; D. BARBIN & N.A. VILLA NOVA. 1976. Manual de ecologia dos insetos. Ed. Agronômica Ceres, São Paulo, 419p.

[14] SPAVOREK, G.; L.R.F. ALLEONI & J.C. PEREIRA. 1997. Aptidão das terras de Piracicaba para o corte mecanizado de cana-de-açúcar. Revista Stab - Açúcar, álcool e subprodutos, Piracicaba, 5: 14-17.

[15] UETZ, G.; J. HALAJ; A.B. CADY. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Jour. Arachnol., New York, 27: 270-280.

[16] YOUNG, O.P.; G.B. EDWARDS. 1990. Spiders in United States fields crops and their potential effect on crop pests. Jour, Arachnol., New York, 18: 1-27.

[17] WISE, O.H. 1995. Spiders in Ecological Webs. Cambridge University Press, XIII + 328