Spiders (Araneae) of Subotica Sandland (Serbia): additional arguments in environmental protection

Abstract

Good environmental management needs evidence-based conservation measures, and those measures need both faunistical and ecological information. Following this path, for the first time in Serbia, a faunistical research of spiders at Subotica Sandland was organised in 2014 as a base for ecological arguments in landscape management of the area. The spiders were collected at ten different habitats on sandy soil, in the period from 27th April till 30th October by pitfall trapping and sweep netting. A total of 16304 adult and 7246 juvenile individuals were captured, and 225 species from 27 families were determined. Thirty species represent new records for Serbia. Diversity and species compositions provided an insight into the quality of the habitats and the influence of the conservation and development measures that were already applied. The main endangerment factors are outlined. Conclusions and suggestions according to the analysis of the spider fauna, are mostly in correlation with those made earlier based on other groups of organisms. Within the scope of nature protection, wet and sandy meadows are prioritised over the woods. For future monitoring, two flagship and umbrella species are suggested: Argiope lobata (Pallas, 1772) for the sandy area and Dolomedes plantarius (Clerck, 1757) for the wetlands.