Polchaninova N.Yu. 2020. Spiders (Aranei) of the ‘Privolzhskaya Lesostep’ Nature Reserve (Penza Area, Russia): the sector ‘Kuncherovskaya Lesostep’ // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.29. No.3: 371–386 [in English].
V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Maidan Svobody, 4, Kharkiv 61077 Ukraine. E-mail: n.polchaninova@karazin.ua
doi: 10.15298/arthsel.29.3.11
ABSTRACT. A total of 216 spider species is found in the ‘Kuncherovskaya Lesostep’ sector of the ‘Privolzhskaya Lesostep’ Nature Reserve. Two families and 44 species are new to the reserve’s araneofauna. Currently, its updated list accounts for 273 species in 24 families. Three families — viz., Linyphiidae (19% of all the recorded species), Gnaphosidae (12%), and Lycosidae (12%) — predominated in the fauna of the ‘Kuncherovskaya Lesostep’ sector. A spider spatial distribution showed equal preferences both to steppe habitats (80 species) and to oak forests (79 species). Spider richness of other habitats studied was smaller: abandoned fields — 51–74 species; steppe oak grove — 71 species, pine, birch forests and meadows — 62 species each, sandy ravines — 61 species each, pine forest strip — 45 species, brook bank — 35 species, aspen forests — 33 species. A comparison of the araneofaunas’ composition of seven protected forest-steppe areas in Central Russian and Volga Uplands showed no geography-related grouping. Obviously, the main driving factor defining a resemblance of spider fauna compositions was habitat similarity in the studied areas. As for the spider species composition, the ‘Kuncherovskaya Lesostep’ sector was the second richest after Samarskaya Luka; its araneofauna included 40.7% of widespread species and 11.6% of those recorded just from one of the seven studied reserves.
KEY WORDS: Araneae, European fauna, species list, conservation areas.