't" ( 'I.., •. .tti:,'t/. 15 Dec. 1987 . ' PROGRESS REPORT· .. · ,:g~~];RS (ARANEAE) OF THE MOOSEHORN NA:l?IBNAL WIL,DLIFE REFUGE, ·WASHINGTON COUNTY, MA:iNE by D,ANIEL T. JEl\TNINGS NORTHEASTERN FOREST EXPERI1'1El{T STAXION USDA BUILDING,· UN;IVERSITY OF MAINE· ORONO, }1AINE 04469 ..,~ Jennings: 2 This report summarizes my identifications of spiders for graduate student Matthew Vander Haegen, College of Forest Resources, Department of Wildlife, University of Maine, Orono. The information and data contained herein supplement Northeastern Forest Experiment Station Study NE 4151-76 entitled, "Biotic Inventories of Ground-Inhabiting Invertebrates of Northeastern Spruce-Fir Forests." These collections provide new and additional information concerning the araneofauna of northeastern spruce-fir forests that have experienced epidemic populations of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens). They also provide baseline data for comparison with other spruce-fir sites currently under investigation by the Spruce-Fir Research Cooperative. During the summer of 1987, spiders were field-collected on the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, (MNWR) Calais, Washington County, Maine, by M. Vander Haegen and A. Narahara as part of an investigation entitled, "Bioenergetic Aspects of Habitat Use by Woodcock during the Breeding Season." The collections came from two principal sources: 1) vegetation plot data, and 2) miscellaneous habitats. Two additional collections were made off of the MNWR and are summarized in the Appendix. Jennings: 3 METHODS 2 Spiders were collected by hand from the litter-duff layer of 1 m vegetation plots established at several localities on the Refuge. At each plot, litter composition was identified and the litter hand sorted. A dilute formalin solution was then poured over the plot to extract earthworms. All captured spiders were placed in 4-dram neoprene-stoppered vials containing 75-80% ethanol. (A few screw-capped bottles were also used but should be avoided for future collections because they do not retain alcohol.) Each vial was labeled with: date, locality, plot number, habitat, and collector. Detailed information was taken by the investigators (Vander Haegen and Narahara) at each vegetation plot and included forest type, soil pH, leaf litter (type), percent ground cover, tree and shrub counts (by species), canopy closure, etc. These data provide general and specific microhabitat information for the collected species. Similar information, but not as detailed, was recorded for the miscellaneous collections of spiders from various localities and habitats on the MN1'1R. In the laboratory, I sorted and identi£ied the spiders with the aid of a Wildtm MS stereomicroscope. Species determinations were made chiefly after Kaston (1981). Other consulted sources included Opell and Beatty (1976) for the Hahniidae; Leech (1972) for the Amaurobiidae; Chamberlin and Gertsch (1958) for the Dictynidae; Levi (1957) for species of Theridion; Dondale and Redner (1982) for the Clubionidae; Dondale and Redner (1978) for the Philodromidae and Thomisidae; and Kaston (1973) for species of Metaphidippus. Jennings: 4 For the most part, only sexually mature spiders were identified to species; juveniles and penultimate stages were identified to family or generic level depending on stage of development (spiderlings) and reliable characters. (Spider species descriptions and identification keys are based chiefly on the genitalia which are not fully developed until maturity.) After sorting and identification, all specimens were stored in 2- and 4-dram neoprene-stoppered vials containing 75% ethanol. Locality-habitat-collector and identification labels were placed inside each vial. Duplicate labels were made when more than one species was collected per plot. Jennings: 5 RESULTS Eighty-two spiders of 14 families, 34 genera, and at least 36 species were c.ollec.ted from 37 vegetation plots, various localities, MN1'ffi. (Table 1).· [Note: plots are listed in numerical order; missing plot numbers are not necessarily indicative of negative (0 spider) values - because, "either no spiders were found or" no spiders were c.ollec.ted due to time constraints" (Vander Haegen, pers. comm).] Most (66%) of the species were represented by sexually mature spiders; however, few genera were represented by more than one species (exceptions included species of Theridion and Walc.kenaeria. As expected, individuals were distributed unevenly among life stages, i.e., juveniles and penultimate stages comprised 58% of all specimens, and sexually mature males and females comprised about 42%. Interestingly, more females Cr= 26) than males Cr= 8) were c.ollec.ted; this differs from pitfall-trap collections where males often predominate. The missing plot data (i.e., where spiders were present but not collected) preclude detailed quantitative analyses at this time. However, some analyses and comparisons could be made using available 2 data - e.g., spider densities/m of plot area; spider-litter associations, etc.. Additional collections in 1988 and 1989 would strengthen these comparisons. J ertni.ngs ! · 6 0£ 6 families, 9 genera, and at least 9 ., species were miscellaneous habitats, MNWR (Table Mbst (55%) 0£ the ·m}-sce~~n,~{5us-'-collected species were represented s.~xually mature the genera were represented by more· one syecies. · Mm;;:"~ fE!nta.l'es . (I: = 4) were collected than males ( I: = ~·. ·bu:p ~.9.:1iJ.alled .·· / ·;"·~-.. \·; -\~ t_ ~},._ <· ' . :"'- ': juv:ert¥e-:-penultimate stages ( I: = 4) . -:r, .Jennings: 7 CONCLUSIONS The spiders collected during this study on the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge provide new and additional information about the araneofauna associated with northeastern spruce-fir forests. Several species (e'. g., selistes florens, Walckenaeria auranticeps, Maso sundevallii, Euryopis Theridion aurantium, and others) previously have not been recorded from spruce-fir forests in north-central Maine (Jennings et al. 1988) or in west-central Maine (Hilburn and Jennings 1988); however, other species (e.g., Callobius bennetti, Amaurobius borealis, Cicurina brevis were common to all spruce-fir sites studied. These collections also provide geographic distributional data for all species, including some new State and County records. And, the detailed microhabitat data are especially valuable for determining habitat associations and possible habitat preferences. Jennings: 8 RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Additional collections from vegetation plots in 1988 and 1989 would provide temporal and spatial replication. Such replications are needed for detailed quantitative analyses. 2. No doubt additional collecting and sampling methods (pitfall traps, Berlese fummels) would yield additional species; however, their use may not be compatible with available resources and overall study objectives. [Pitfall traps, once deployed, should be changed weekly which requires minimal time and effort (< 5 min./trap). However, considerable time and efforts are required to sort, count, and identify trap contents.] 3. Specimens from this years' collection and any subsequent collections should be deposited in an appropriate museum (U.S. Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC). Specimens will be retained in NEFES' laboratory until such time. " Jennings: 9 4. If additional spiders are collected in 1988 and 1989 (and especially· from vegetation plots), the investigators should consider publishing a brief paper, separate from Vander Haegen 1 s thesis. Such publication is justified because: a) so little is knmm about the spider fauna of Maine I s spruce-fir forests; b) the data provide an inventory of natural resources of a National Wildlife Refuge; c) the data include potential natural enemies of the spruce budworm and other associated pests; d) forest litter-habitat associated data are exemplified for all species; and e) new State, County, and easternmost (U.S.) distribution records are indicated for many species. Authorship should be shared among investigators (Vander Haegen, Narahara, Jennings) with lead responsibility assigned later. Jennings: 10 ACKNOWLEDGMENT T:li:J1;'Word processing skills 0£ Janet J. Melvin a:r~. g'reatly ap#'r:'eci'~t~d. J. .... .., .,t--- ~< ·.-•• Jennings: 11 LITERATURE CITED Chamberlin, R. V., and W. J. Gertsch. 1958. The spider family Dictynidae in America north of Mexico. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Bull., 116. 152 pp. Dondale, C. D., and J. H. Redner. 1978. The crab spiders of Canada and Alaska (Araneae: Philodromidae and thomisidae). Canadian Dep. Agric. Publ., 1663. 255 pp. Dondale, C. D., and J. H. Redner. 1982. The sac of Canada and Alaska (Araneae: Clubionidae and Anyphaenidae). Canadian Dep. Agric. Publ., 1724. 194 pp. Hilburn, Daniel J., and Daniel T. Jennings. 1988. Terricolous spiders (Araneae) of insecticide-treated spruce-fir forests in west-central Maine. The Great Lakes Entomologist (in press). Jennings, Daniel T., Mark W. Houseweart, Charles D. Dondale, and James H. Redner. 1988. Spiders ) associated with strip-clearcut and dense spruce-fir forests of Maine. J. Aranchol. (in press). Kaston, B. J. 1973. Four new species of Metaphidippus, with notes on related jumping spiders from the eastern and central United States. Amer. Microsc. Soc. Trans.j 92: Y>Bston, B. J. 1981. Spiders of Connecticut. Bull. Connecticut State Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv., 70. 1020 pp. Jennings: 12 Leech, R. 1972. A revision 0£ the nearctic Amau:cobiidae (Arachnida: !1:atie,ida) . Mem. Entomol. Soc. · Canada, 84. 18 2 pp .. .W. l957. The spidel;' genera Enoplognatha,