SPIDERS GUILDS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) IN ASSEMBLIES OF TWO LOCALITIES OF THE AMBATO DEPARTMENT, CATAMARCA

FRANCO L. MORALES; ALEXIS E. BARRIOS MONTIVERO; SALAS LILIANA B

TUCUMAN

Jornada; TUCUMAN BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION XXXVIII ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING; 2022

TUCUMAN BIOLOGY ASSOCIATION

SPIDERS GUILDS (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) IN ASSEMBLIES OF TWO LOCALITIES OF THEAMBATO DEPARTMENT, CATAMARCAMorales FL, Barrios Montivero AE, Salas LBBiodiversity Center. Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences-UNCA. E-mail: frankomorales017@gmail.comAraneae is one of the megadiverse orders of the animal kingdom with 129 families, 4,229 genera, and 49,564 species described so far. Taking into account the various hunting strategies, they can be ecologically subdivided into guilds, with similarity in the consumption of prey associated with a particular habitat. The aim of this research was to classify spiders in guilds, in two localities in the Ambato department. The spiders were collected in “El Rodeo” (1,250 mamsl; 28°12′55′′ S–65°52′27′′W) and “La Puerta” (870 mamsl; 28°10′00′′S– 65°47′00′′W), along two transects (50 m x 20 m), combining manual sampling and foliage tapping (15-min sampling effort) and the placement of 10 pitfall traps, active for 28 days, renewed every 7 days. The collected organisms were preserved in 70% ethanol solution. In laboratory, the spiders were separated and taxonomically determined to the lowest possible taxon to discern. In “El Rodeo”, 198 spiders were collected, among which 23 families of Araneomorphae were listed. The guilds were: orbicular fabric weavers (17.2%), laminar fabric weavers (8.6%), irregular fabric weavers (5.00%), running hunters (32.8%), and stalking hunters (36.6%). In “La Puerta”, 124 spiders were collected, among which 15 families of Araneomorphae were listed. The guilds were: orbicular fabric weavers (8.1%), laminar fabricweavers (4.8%), irregular fabric weavers (10.5%), running hunters (29.9%), and stalking hunters (46.7%). The data obtained in relation to the ecological guilds present are the first of their type for the Ambato department and for the province of Catamarca.