Diversity and Distribution of Spider Fauna from Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh

This investigation was undertaken to document the diversity and seasonal variation of predatory spider fauna in natural ecosystem of Kangra valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. A total of twenty-six spider species were found associated, belonging to eight families. Among the recorded families, Tetragnathidae was the most abundant (24%), followed by Oxyopidae (23%), Araneidae (16%), and Salticidae (11%) and remaining four families namely, Sparassidae, Lycosidae, Nephilidae, and Psechridae were sparsely represented. Out of them Gea jingdong is the new record for India. Oxyopes javanus (Thorell) was the predominant species. Spider populations exhibited clear seasonal variation, with peaks during summer and the rainy season, and reduced activity in autumn and winter. From the study locations, Palampur demonstrated the highest species richness (S) with 19 recorded species and Nagrota Bagwan had the least species richness.