A preliminary report on the diversity of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in the Cholistan desert, Pakistan

Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) were collected by hand picking and shaking plants methods from different habitats of the Cholistan Desert. These samples contained 10 families, 32 genera and 62 species. The Philodromidae was found to have greatest diversity of species (30%) followed by Lycosidae (26%) and Gnaphosidae (18%) respectively. Studies on species sex ratios studies indicated that generally female spiders were more abundant than males and immature spiders during the entire study. The present study provides preliminary data on the diversity of spiders which can be useful for the researchers working on diversity, taxonomy and conservation of spiders. It was concluded that the Arachnida is a diverse class of Arthopoda in the Cholistan Desert. However, it is suggested that more intensive studies are needed to fully document the arachnid diversity in this region.