Utilização de microhabitats por aranhas sinantrópicas na área urbana de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais

Abstract

The distribution of spiders is influenced by the availability of suitable microhabitats for web attachment or active foraging. Different web architectures have specific requirements regarding the spatial configuration of the structures used for support. Wandering spiders, on the other hand, may have preferences for the type of substrate (smooth, rough, or with cavities) used for approaching and attacking their prey. In this study, we investigated how different spider families are associated with types of urban microhabitats (walls, poles, fences, shrubs, etc.) and their surface types (smooth, rough, vegetal, cavities). To do this, we conducted active searches at 30 sampling points distributed across the main urbanized areas of Uberlândia. For each point, 500 meters of randomly selected streets were inspected during the day (sidewalks, walls, fences, trees, etc.) by three people in 40 minutes. Specimens were then taken to the laboratory and identified to species level or the lowest possible taxonomic category. All spiders found had their occupied substrate type and geographic positioning recorded. 762 individuals were identified. Spiders from some families, such as Araneidae, were closely associated with vegetation, indicating that parks and gardens constitute an essential requirement for their maintenance in urban areas. Others, such as Latrodectus geometricus (Theridiidae), were able to use a variety of microstructures, maintaining only the architectural requirement of perpendicular planes for attaching their three-dimensional webs. Finally, the most abundant species, Menemerus bivittatus (Salticidae), uses trunks and walls, efficiently hunting across different surfaces. The data obtained are important for understanding how urban structure shapes spider presence and, consequently, their ecological impacts, such as predation on disease-vectoring insects.