A contribution to the spider fauna of the Dnister Canyon NNP and its environs

Abstract

The research on the spider fauna of the Dnister Canyon National Nature Park, which is located on the territory of the Chortkiv district of the Ternopil oblast (Ukraine), is presented. The study area lies within the deciduous forest zone in the region of Roztochia-Opillian hill ridges and the West Podolian upland region. The history of the study of the spider fauna in the region is analyzed, including the one related to the works of famous naturalists of the 19th century: A. Wierzejski, M. Łomnicki, L. Wajgiel, M. Nowicki, and L. Koch. It was established that most of the clusters of the National Nature Park were not covered by the research, and its faunal list includes only about 85 spider species, and even then, a significant part of them was collected on the outskirts of the protected area. During the several-day expeditions in 2000 and 2016, 93 species belonging to 20 families were found. The species-rich families were Linyphiidae (15 species; 16.1% of species diversity), Araneidae (12 species; 12.9%), Lycosidae, Theridiidae, and Thomisidae (11 species each; 11.8%). Information on the distribution in the world and in Ukraine of two rare and little-known species of spiders, namely Tegenaria campestris (C. L. Koch, 1834) and Harpactea saeva (Herman, 1879), which were found in a rotten log in an oak-hornbeam forest, is given. Taking into account the literature-derided data, the fauna of the park currently includes 135 spider species from 21 families. During the research, 42 species of spiders were not confirmed. First of all, this is due to the very short period of expeditions and the lack of stationary study plots, and therefore of materials from pitfall traps or seasonal from spring to autumn collections. In particular, no tarantula (Lycosa singoriensis) was found. This species was typical and widespread in Podolia at the end of the 19th century, however, according to a survey of local residents, it is now very rare, and its records on the territory of the National nature park need confirmation. To supplement the fauna and understand the features of its formation in the region, further comprehensive research of zonal forests and steppe areas on the slopes of river canyons is necessary.