The prevalence and species richness of spiders associated with marine strandlines on different shore types around Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Marine strandlines provide habitat for a variety of littoral and terrestrial invertebrates, including arachnids. In this study we recorded spiders in strandlines at 35 sites on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. On average, only 1.5 named species were recorded per thirty-minute hand search, and many sample visits (30%) recorded no spiders. Species accumulation curves suggested further species could be recorded with further sampling, but these may be tourist species rather than strandline residents. Thirty-eight species were recorded in total, with the introduced theridiid Steatoda capensis being the most common (30 records) and widespread (17 locations). The New Zealand endemic species Otagoa nova (25 records) (Toxopidae), Anoteropsis litoralis (15) and Anoteropsis hilaris (15) (Lycosidae), and the introduced Tenuiphantes tenuis (24) (Linyphiidae), were also common. Spiders were more frequent in strandlines on boulder beaches compared with shingle beaches, although there was no statistical differences in the numbers of species recorded on the different beach types.

KEYWORDS:

• Beaches
• katipō
• Lycosidae
• shore line
• Steatoda
• wrack beds

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mick Whittle and Mike Bowie for help with field work, and the property owners along the Banks Peninsula Track and Decanter Bay that granted beach access.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Simon Hodge http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6933-5253

Cor Vink http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4237-0117

Additional information

Funding

The Brian Mason Trust provided funding for this project, and we thank VSN International Ltd, UK, for Genstat support of SH.