Spiders (Araneae) from Agricultural fields near foothill of Satpura Mountain ranges of Amravati District, Maharashtra, India.

This paper deals with the study of spider distribution in agricultural fields adjoining the Satpura Mountain Ranges of the Amravati district. The total collection of spiders comprises 12 families, 37 genera and 76 species. The Araneidae and Thomisidae families were dominant, followed by Saltisidae from the selected agricultural area. Lycosidae and Tetragnathidae were also found in a decreasing number of species due to their specific habitation. The analysis of guild structure revealed six feeding guilds. Orb web weavers and Ambushers constituted the dominant feeding guild representing 33% and 22% of the total collection respectively. Stalkers and ground runners represent 20% and 17% and foliage hunters and sheet web weavers represent 5% and 3% respectively. A new species of genus Sassacus (Beetle like spider), family Saltisidae was found for the first time in the Vidarbha region. The richness of spider diversity is a sign of the overall biodiversity which is a useful indicator of the species richness of the agro-ecosystem.