DISTRIBUTION AND BIOCONTROL POTENTIAL OF CHOSEN SPIDERS

Abstract

ABSTRACT A regular fortnightly survey has been made in Jhalana Forest Range, Jaipur, (26Ú50’and 26Ú55’North latitude and 75Ú and 75Ú50’East longitude). The collection represented 39 species belonging to 29 genera and 16 families. The Predatory spiders and prey relationship was investigated in forest ecosystem. Spiders were found feeding upon different insects in the field. Non- web builder spiders were more predatory than web- building ones. It was also found that spiders preferred soft bodied insects than the hard cuticular insects. Cyrtophora citricola was found abundantly. This species is a voracious feeder of insect pests. It was reared in the laboratory on two different insect species i.e., Drosophila melanogaster and Corcyra cephalonica larvae and the feeding potential was recorded. An adult C. citricola consumed on an average 12.2 C. cephalonica larvae and 21.4 D. melanogaster in 24 hours.