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Spider Checklist for the Blouberg, in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa

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Spider Checklist for the Blouberg, in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa Bothalia - African Biodiversity & Conservation ISSN: (Online) 2311-9284, (Print) 0006-8241 Page 1 of 13 Original Research Spider checklist for the Blouberg, in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa Authors: Background: The north-eastern mountainous region of South Africa has been identified as a 1 Stefan Foord spider diversity hotspot and centre of endemisim. The Blouberg is an isolated inselberg that Anna S. Dippenaar- Schoeman1,2 forms part of the Soutpansberg geological complex, the northernmost mountain in Charles R. Haddad3 South Africa. Colin Schoeman1 Norbert Hahn1 Objectives: This article provides an updated species list of the Blouberg spiders, which Robin Lyle2 includes details of the distribution patterns and conservation statuses of all taxa. Exotic species and species of special conservation concern are identified. Affiliations: 1Department of Zoology, Method: Surveys were conducted between 2005 and 2012, and a range of collecting methods Centre for Invasion Biology, were used to sample both the ground and field layers. University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa Results: A total of 47 families were sampled in 210 genera and 346 species. The families of Salticidae (45 spp.), Gnaphosidae (32 spp.), Thomisidae (31 spp.), Araneidae (26 spp.) and 2ARC – Plant Health and Protection, National Lycosidae (24 spp.) were the most diverse. Five species are of conservation concern, one species Collection of Arachnida is Vulnerable, one is possibly exotic and 62 species are South African endemics. (non-mites), Pretoria, South Africa Conclusion: Presently, 17% of South African species are protected on the mountain and its surrounding foothills. The latter are of particular conservation concern, while the mountaintop 3Department of Zoology & and its associated habitats are under-sampled. Entomology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, Keywords: South African Survey of Arachnida; conservation status; endemicity; exotic species; South Africa threats; Limpopo province. Corresponding author: Stefan Foord, [email protected] Introduction The Blouberg (BB) is an inselberg that is geologically related, but geomorphically distinct from Dates: Received: 24 Apr. 2018 Soutpansberg (SPB), separated from it by a plain of approximately 15 km (Hahn 2011). The spiders Accepted: 03 June 2019 of the SPB are relatively well known and very diverse, with > 600 species and 13 endemic taxa Published: 30 Sept. 2019 (Foord, Dippenaar-Schoeman & Stam 2013). Although 30 times smaller than the SPB, the BB is How to cite this article: 300 m higher (Hahn 2011). Previous surveys of the mountain were restricted to the Blouberg Foord, S., Dippenaar- Nature Reserve on the north-eastern foothills of the mountain (Muelelwa et al. 2010), while the Schoeman, A.S, Haddad, C.R., mountain massif itself has been neglected with no known records. Schoeman, C., Hahn, N. & Lyle, R., 2019, ‘Spider checklist for the Blouberg, in Within the ambit of the South African National Survey of Arachnida (SANSA) (Dippenaar- the Vhembe Biosphere Schoeman et al. 2015), the current study presents the sampling in the BB, listing the global Reserve, South Africa’, distribution, endemicity and conservation profile for each species. Bothalia 49(1), a2455. https://doi.org/10.4102/abc. v49i1.2455 Method Copyright: Study area © 2019. The Authors. The BB is an inselberg of the same geological formation as the SPB, but separated from it by 15 km Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the gap of relatively flat plains (Figure 1). Blaauwberg at 2051 m above sea level is the highest peak Creative Commons on the Blouberg, protruding 1200 m from the surrounding plain. The mountain predominantly Attribution License. consists of erosion-resistant quartzite and quartzitic sandstones, the sandy soils derived from these formations are acidic, well drained and nutrient poor (Mostert et al. 2008). Aeolian Kalahari sands form fine-grained deep soils on the northern plains, while clayey well-drained soils derived from diabase and basalt intrusions characterise the southern slopes. It is a summer rainfall area, Read online: with cold and dry early winters, hot and dry late winter and early spring conditions developing Scan this QR into hot and wet summers. code with your smart phone or mobile device The southern mountain slopes consist of mixed bushveld becoming forest at increased elevations. to read online. The habitat of the upper plateau situated at an altitude of about 1600 m is mostly of mixed http://www.abcjournal.org Open Access Page 2 of 13 Original Research 0 2.5 510 km South Africa FIGURE 1: Map of study area. Symbols (stars) indicate sampling localities. grassland with wooded patches and bushland limited to province (SAE-LE), wider than type locality; 4 = South African drainage lines that are directed upwards to the summit endemic known from two adjoining provinces; 3 = South African (Figure 2a–c). Foothills include Kalahari sandveld on the endemics > two provinces or two provinces not adjoining; 2 = northern aspect to sweet bushveld to the east and west Southern Africa Endemics (STHE) (south of Zambezi and (Figure 2d–g). Habitats also include tamboti woodland, Kunene Rivers); 1 = Afrotropical Region Endemics (AE); 0 = Africa and beyond (C). fig tree forests, baobabs forests and floodplains (Figure 2). Sampling methods and period Conservation profiles Spiders were sampled within the context of focused research Species known from immatures only, or undetermined taxa, projects between 2005 and 2006 (Muelelwa et al. 2010), 2012 were Not Evaluated (NE). Species known from only one sex, (Schoeman et al. in press) and as part of a SANSA (Dippenaar- old material or not included in recent revisions, were Schoeman et al. 2015) survey of the mountain in 2009 designated as Data Deficient for either taxonomic reasons or (Figure 1). Sampling consisted of pitfall traps, litter sifting, the lack of Distribution Data (DD). Species with broad global sweeping, beating and hand collecting. distribution ranges (Categories 0–2) were considered to be of Least Concern (LC), while Categories 3 and 4 are considered Species were identified by the first three authors. Voucher to be South African endemics (SAE) and Category 5 is specimens are deposited in the National Collection of Limpopo endemics (SAE-LE). Arachnida (Agricultural Research Institute – Plant Health & Protection, Pretoria). Agelenidae, Araneidae, Dictynidae Results and discussion and Theridiidae taxonomy are in need of major revisions, Numbers present and many specimens in these families are unidentified (Appendix 1). We only list generic names for immature A total of 47 families represented by 216 genera and 346 specimens. species have been recorded from the BB (Tables 2 and Appendix 1). A comprehensive account of the spider diversity of the Blouberg is provided in the form of a checklist Distribution value (Appendix 1). This account adds 170 species to Blouberg The distribution values (DVs) are provided for each species since the account published by Muelelwa et al. (2010). This (Table 1) calculated based on current known global diversity is in excess of 150% more than the average of 228 distribution, which included six distribution categories, species that were recorded in other studies in the Limpopo ranging from: province, which range from 175 species in Nylsvley 6 = Blouberg endemic (BBE), known only from type/one locality (Dippenaar-Schoeman & Prendini 2009) to 286 species in the only; 5 = South African endemic known from the Limpopo Makalali Nature Reserve (Whitmore et al. 2002). http://www.abcjournal.org Open Access Page 3 of 13 Original Research a b c e d f g Source: All photos courtesy of Stefan Foord, except (e), (f), (g) by Norbert Hahn. FIGURE 2: Habitat associated with the Blouberg: (a) southern aspect of the mountain, (b) grassland on top of the mountain, (c, d) foothills (south of the mountain), (e-g) foothills north of the mountain with deep sandy soil. http://www.abcjournal.org Open Access Page 4 of 13 Original Research TABLE 1: Conservation status and endemicity of the spider species sampled at TABLE 2: Spider diversity of Blouberg, with total number of genera and species the Blouberg. sampled per family. Category No. spp. Conservation status % Family Genera Species Conservation status Agelenidae 4 5 Data Deficient (taxonomic reason or lack 12 DD 3.5 Amaurobiidae 1 1 of Distribution Data) Ammoxenidae 2 3 Not Evaluated: Immature, new or 34 NE 9.8 undetermined Araneidae 17 26 Least Concern 299 LC 86.4 Atypidae 1 1 Vulnerable 1 VU 0.3 Barychelidae 2 3 Endemicity Caponiidae 1 1 0 – Africa and wider (C) 21 LC 6.1 Cheiracanthiidae 2 6 1 – Africa endemics (AE) 137 LC 39.6 Clubionidae 1 1 2 – Southern Africa endemics (STHE) 90 LC 26.0 Corinnidae 4 4 3 – South Africa endemics (SAE): > 3 52 LC 15.0 Ctenidae 1 2 provinces Cyatholipidae 1 1 4 – South Africa endemics (SAE): 7 LC/Rare 2.0 Cyrtaucheniidae 1 1 2 adjacent provinces Deinopidae 1 1 5 – Limpopo province endemics (LE) 5 DD/Rare 1.4 Dictynidae 3 3 6 – Blouberg endemic (BBE) 0 Rare 0.0 Dipluridae 2 2 No. spp., number of species; DD, Data Deficient; NE, Not Evaluated; LC, Least Concern; VU, Vulnerable. Eresidae 4 5 Gnaphosidae 18 37 Hersiliidae 1 3 Distribution and conservation concern Idiopidae 4 6 Of the 346 species sampled, 12 are DD and lack taxonomic or Linyphiidae 6 7 distribution data, while 34 species (9.8 %) were NE (Table 1 Liocranidae 1 2 and Appendix 1). Fifteen species are possibly new to science Lycosidae 16 24 and 16 species were undetermined because of the lack of a Mimetidae 2 2 resolved taxonomy (Table 1). Many of the possibly new Mysmenidae 1 1 Nemesiidae 1 2 species fall within species-rich families that can only be Oecobiidae 1 1 confirmed after revisionary studies. Most of the remaining Oonopidae 1 1 299 species (86.4 ) are listed as LC. These large groups % Oxyopidae 3 16 include 20 spp. (5.8%) that are cosmopolitan and 139 spp.
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