Diversity of Spiders and Seasonal Variation Surrounding “Madosilli Waterfall” Sarangarh-Bilaigarh District, Chhattisgarh, India.

Abstract

Spiders, classified as invertebrates, belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida, and order Araneae. A study was conducted from March 2024 to February 2025 to investigate spider diversity in Madosilli Waterfall the Sarangarh-Bilaigarh District, Chhattisgarh. The primary objective of this survey was to assess the existing spider diversity and seasonal variation within the designated study area. A comprehensive survey of Madosilli Waterfall documented a total of 32 species belonging to28 genera and 12 families. The family Araneidae was the most diverse, with 8 species identified, followed by Salticidae with 7 species. Oxyopidae was represented by 3 species. The families Gnaphosidae, Hersiliidae, Lycosidae, Pholcidae, Sparassidae, Tetragnathidae, and Thomisidae each contributed 2 species to the surveyed fauna, Agelenidae and Theridiidae were represented by a single species each. Seasonal variability is generally highest in post-monsoon (n=31), followed by the monsoon season(n=27), followed by the winter(n=25) season and lowest in the pre-monsoon season(n=14). This research provides relevant and up-to-date data on spider species and sessional variation within the specified region, offering a potentially valuable dataset for future investigations of spider fauna.