Spiders in the Desert National Park

The Thar Desert is the easternmost edge of the Sahara-Arabian Desert zone, covering approximately 280,000km2 and with the highest human population density of any desert worldwide. The Desert National Park (DNP; 25°47′N and 75°15′–70°45′E) encompasses about 3,162km2 in the Jaisalmer District and another 1,262km2 in the Banner District of Rajasthan. The area is situated in the extremely hot, arid region of very low rainfall of India, comprising mostly sandy plains. Despite the harsh environmental conditions, some parts of the DNP show vast expanses of grassland intermixed with shrubs and small trees. The present study was conducted in the Desert National Park, Jaisalmer and Banner districts, Rajasthan from 1994–1998. A thorough search was made for spiders in different types of vegetation, on sand dunes and in other habitat types. A total of 28 species belonging to 13 families and 21 genera were recorded for the park. Among these, five species—Lycosa madani, Uroctea indica, Drassodes parvidens, Zelotes desioi and Drassodes luridus—were new records for this area. The results of the present study show the high variety of spiders existing in the Desert National Park.