ARCTIC VOL. 39,NO. 1 (MARCH 1986) P. 82-84 Spiders (Araneae) from the Alpine Zone of the South and West Flanks of Mt. Wrangell, Alaska (62"N, 144"W) BRUCE CUTLER' and RANSOM SALTMARCH2 (Received 5 March 1984; accepred in revised form 1 May 1985) ABSTRACT. A series of spiders was collected during a summer season from the alpine zone of Mt. Wrangell, Alaska (62'N, 144"W). Most of the species collected have also been taken from lowland sites in the boreal forest and the Arctic and have extensivein the ranges northern nearctic. Some of these speciesalso occur in the palearctic.The dominant families were the Linyphiidae (Erigoninae and Linyphiinae) and the Lycosidae, the only families represented by more than two species within a family. The other families represented were the Agelenidae, Araneidae, Dictynidae, Salticidae and Thomisidae. A phalangid and trombidiiform mite werealso coHected. Key words: spiders, Mt. Wrangell, alpine zone, Alaska, nearctic and holarctic distribution RÉSUMÉ. Une quantité d'araignées furent recueillies pendant l'kté dans la zone alpine du mont Wrangell, en Alaska (62"N, 144"O). La plupart des espi?ces trouvéesont aussi été prises dans des sites montagnardsde la forêtbodale et dans l'Arctique et ont une vaste distributiondans le nord des régions néarctiques. Certaines des espi?ces sont aussi trouvées dans le paléarctique. Les familles dominantes furent les Linyphiidés (les Ergonidés et les Linyphiinés) et les Lycosidés. Elles furent les seules familles représentées par plus de deux espi?ces au seind'une même famille. Les autres familles repdsentées furent les Agélénidés, les Aranéi'des, les Dictynidés, les Salticidés et les Thomisidés. Une mite phalangide et trombodiiforme fut aussi recueillie. Mots clés: araignées, mont Wrangell, zone alpine, Alaska, région néarctique, distribution holarctique Traduit pour lejournal par Maurice Guibord. In view of the enormous ecological and biogeographical impor- TABLE 1. Alpine spiders from Mt. Wrangell tance of the region, it seems unfortunate that we know practi- callyNumber nothing of the high altitude insectsCollection of the Alaskan moun- Taxon tains. [Mani, 1968:393.] Agelenidae Cicurina species, immature male S837 Araneidae INTRODUCTION Aculepeira carbonarioides (Keyserling) S839, 52, 54 Mile the abovequote by Mani refersto insects, it is clear from Hypsosinga groenlandica Simon S826 the thrust of his book that he includedal1 terrestrial arthropods Dictynidae Dictyna major Menge S835 within his scope, and the quote is certainly applicable to the Linyphiidae arachnids as well. In 1978 one of us (RS) madea solo expedition Erigoninae to study the biology and geology of the southern and western Baryphyma species male S830 flanks of Mt. Wrangell, southeastern Alaska, approximately Ceraticelus crassiceps (O.P. Cambridge) S837 62"N, 144"W. Collections were made between 6 June and 22 Erigone species female s4 July in the alpine zone. In 1980 an additional specimen was Walckenaeria species male S830 procured on a shorter trip to the region. A privately printed Undetermined female, eight immatures S837,40, 57 brochure (Saltmarch, 1978) provides details of the descriptive Linyphiinae biology and geology andof the expedition. The Appendix lists Lepthyphantes alpinus (Emerton) S837 the collecting sites by locality with habitat information. This L. washingtoni Zorsch S826, 30, 35 detailed appendix is necessary for archival reasons, as it is Pityohyphantes species female S837 Lycosidae unlikely that arachnids will be collectedat any time in the near Alopecosa aculeata (Clerck) S826, 30 future inthe area. The alpine zone as used in this paper refersto Pardosa albomaculata Emerton S83 1 regions above the local treeline. Camps were pitched beside P.furcifera (Thorell) S826 flowing water, thusaccounting for biastoward Stream or P. groenlandica (Thorell) S833, 50 riverside collecting sites. P. hyperborea (Thorell) S826, 34 P. palustris (Linnaeus) S830 P. uintana Gertsch S834 METHODS Salticidae Spiders were collectedby handpicking or by sweeping vege- Chalcoscirtus carbonarius Emerton S856 tation. No attempt was made toquantitative, be the goal being to Thomisidae record the species presentat the different sites and in different Xysticus deichmanni Sorensen S83 1 '1747 Eustis Street, St. Paul, Minnesota 55113, U.S.A. '2021 California Avenue (#18), Santa Monica, Califomia 90403,U.S.A. @The Arctic Institute of North America NOTES 83 habitats. Since each site was visited once, no pitfall trapping are recorded, the majority are typically from montane, boreal was attempted. and low arctic locations (Table 2). Only 3 species have not been found in nonmontanesites and are probablystrictly montane. Of DISCUSSION the purely montane species, Aculepeira carbonarioides dwell on boulderfields and clifffaces and Chalcoscirtus carbonarius Table 1 lists the spiders caught by index number to location on talus slopes. These habitats are more typical of montane and habitat. At only threelocalities - S826, S830and S837 - environments. While most of the species fromalpine the zone of were there as many asfive species represented, and at only the Mt. Wrangell occur on lowland sites, together thespecies form a first locality were three families represented. All three sites biota incorporating some species from both the low Arctic and were densely vegetated nearwater. the borealforest, with a few montanespecialists. As can be seen General observations were that lycosids were abundant wher- from Table 2, the ranges of these species tendto be extensive, evervegetation occurred. The orb webs of Aculepeira some being palearcticas well as nearctic. Mani (1968) noted and carbonarioides (Araneidae), which occur in boulder fields and summarized this situation well: on cliff faces, were about 35 cm in diameter. One contained a A fact ofgreat biogeographical andecological importance is that captured cranefly (Tipulidae). The jumpingspider Chalcoscirtus a great many of the species reported from Alaska-Yukon Terri- carbonarius (Salticidae) was abundant on onerock slide where tory are also known from the CanadianRockies, the mountains there were numerous retreats; there were immature specimens in Colorado and Montana, from Labrador and from the Appala- as well as the females taken. chian Region, especiallythe Presidential Range. Many of them Of those 15 spider speciesfor which reliablegeographic data extend moreover into the region of Beringia and Siberia, and occur also on the Altai Mountains and still others turneven up on the Fennoscandian mountains, in Novaya Zemlya and Green- TABLE 2. Geographicaldistribution of alpinezone spiders from land. [Mani, 1968:393.] Mt. Wrangell' The family distribution is whatone would expect in a north- BorealEastern Western em alpine environment. Undoubtedly pitfall trapping would ArcticForest Montane Montane Green- Old have uncovered other species and genera, and perhaps a few Taxon N. Am. N. Am. N. Am. N. Am. World'land families such as Gnaphosidae and Hahniidae. This would not Araneidae alter the dominant position of the Linyphiidae and Lycosidae. Aculepeira These two families are prominent in the temperate areas of the carbonarioides + + S northern hemisphere (Kaston, 1981) and become predominant Hypsosinga in the boreal, arctic, and montane regions (Gertsch, 1979). groenlandica + + + + I Dictynidae OTHER ARACHNIDS D ictyna majorDictyna + + + + E,S Linyphiidae At sites S837 and S840 a male and immature phalangids of Erigoninae the species Liopilio yukon Cokendolpher were collected. The Ceraticelus range of this species includes the westarctic coast of Alaska and crassiceps + + ~ Walckenaeria the mountains of southeastern Alaska and the southern Yukon Temtory (Cokendolpher, 198 1). Trombidiiformmites were ~ species + I Linyphiinae collected at sites S826 and S837. Undoubtedly mites form a Lepthyphantes common element of the fauna, but they were not specifically alpinus + + + sought in this study. L. washingtoni + + + Lycosidae ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS , Alopecosa aculeata + + + + ES We wish to thank the following specialists for identificationsin the ~ Pardosa following groups: Linyphiidae - Dr. Richard Carter, University of ~ albomaculata + + + Manitoba, Winnipeg; Lycosidae - Dr. Charles Dondale, Biosyste- P.furcifera + +I matics Research Institute, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa; Opiliones - 1~ P. groenlandica Distributionconfused Dr. James Cokendolpher, Texas Tech University, Lubbock;Dr. Wil- P. hyperborea + + + + +K liam Shear,Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia.These specialists P.palustris + E,I, have retained the specimens they identified. Allother specimens are in ~ S,T the collection ofBruce Cutler. P. uintana + + + + ~ Salticidae APPENDIX Chalcoscirtus carbonarius + Habitat and localities of spider collections by collection number, United Thomisidae States legal description, latitude and longitude, and habitat. Xysticus S826: TlS, R6E, s. 11, NE%; 61"48'N, 144"16'W;975 m el; Cheshnina deichmanni + + + + drainage; 13 June 1978; dwarf Betula and Sulix, grasses by small fake. S830 TlN, R6E, s. 26, SW%, 61"50'N, 144'16'W; 1300 m el; Cheshnina 'Papers used in determining the distributions are: Braendegaard, 1946, 1958; drainage; 9 June 1978; near stream, grasses and dwarf Betula. Chamberlinand Gertsch,1958; Chamberlinand hie, 1947;Dondale and S831: TlN, R6E, s. 27, NE%; 61"50'N, 144'17'W; 1675 m el; Cheshnina I Redner, 1978, 1979;Holm, 1970; Kronestedt, 1975; Levi, 1971,1975, 1977; drainage; 6 June 1978; summit rock and adjacent vegetation. Lowrie and Dondale, 1981; Swann and Robey,