Spider (Arachnida: Araneae) fauna of the scrub jungle in the Madras Christian College campus, Chennai, India

Abstract

A total of 108 species of spider species belonging to 84 genera and 25 families were identified from the scrub jungle of the Madras Christian College campus. Pagida salticiformis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1883) is recorded for the first time from India. Langona tigrina (Simon, 1885) is rediscovered 135 years since its first description and the unknown male is described and illustrated. A new combination, Langona davidi (Caleb, Mungkung & Mathai, 2015) comb. nov. is proposed for the species previously placed in Phlegra. Three new synonymys have been recognized: Clubiona foliata Keswani & Vankhede, 2014 and Clubiona pashabhaii Patel & Patel, 1973 are junior synonyms of Clubiona filicata O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874 and Myrmarachne megachelae Kumar & Mohanasundaram, 1998 is a junior synonym of Myrmaplata plataleoides (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869). Distribution records of several species have been updated and as many as 31 species are recorded for the first time from Tamil Nadu State. The family Salticidae is the most diverse with 28 species belonging to 22 genera followed by Araneidae with 19 species in 11 genera. Guild structure analysis revealed seven feeding guilds of which, stalkers and orb-web weavers are the dominant feeding guilds followed by ground runners, ambushers, and scattered line weavers, respectively.