Habitat Preference and Effects of Coastal Fragmentation in the Sand-Dwelling Spider Allocosa brasiliensis (Lycosidae, Allocosinae)

Allocosa brasiliensis is a sand-dwelling wolf spider considered a good bioindicator to evaluate the quality of coastal dune ecosystems from Uruguay. Habitat fragmentation and human activities have impacted and reduced the Southern Uruguayan coast during the last decades. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the density, surface activity and habitat preference of A. brasiliensis in beaches with different human impact. For that purpose, we sampled during the night with head lamps and applied the capture-mark-recapture method. Females were more abundant than males and were the most recaptured sex. The most fragmented beaches showed lower number of burrows and individuals, especially in immatures stages. We found that the most suitable sandy habitat for A. brasiliensis should present a vegetation cover optimum of 25% - 50% of the surface. This study could provide tools for the implementation of future management conservation plans of the Southern Uruguayan coastline.