Arachnid Fauna of Dry Deciduous Forests of Birbhum District, West Bengal, India

The arachnid fauna of the Gonpur forests of Birbhum District, West Bengal has been documented for the first time. A total of 45 arachnid species, including 40 spiders, 2 scorpions, 1 whip-scorpion, and 2 harvestmen, were recorded from the study area. Among these, one species of spider, Cheiracanthium iranicum Esyunin & Zamani, 2020, is recorded for the first time from India. Sixteen arachnid families reported from the area exhibit different types of foraging behaviour. These preliminary data show a rich diversity of arachnids, indicating high potentiality of the area for future faunal discoveries.