Spider Diversity in Wainganga River Basin of Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh.

Spiders have a critical role in the ecological web. They are significant ecological indicators. In central India Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh is known for having the highest forest density, biological diversity, and ecological values. In the present study, a total of 65 spider species from 15 families and 47 genera were identified. In total, 2340 individual spiders have been observed in the Wainganga basin of Balaghat. Family Araneidae has the most species (30.76%) out of the 15 families studied. This was followed by Salticidae (21.53%), Lycosidae (10%), Theridiidae (10%), and Tetragnathidae (6.1%). Habitat heterogeneity, availability of water resources, rich vegetation, and an abundance of prey density ultimately increase the abundance and diversity of spiders in the present study site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]