The sicariid spiders in the state of Bahia, Brazil (Arachnida: Araneae)

Sicariidae is a small family of cryptic and recluse spiders, with 178 species grouped into three genera: and . Only the last two occur in Brazil, where 29 species are recorded, with a greater number of records in the Southeast and South regions. To date, there is no regionalized study of the distrib...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2024-08, Vol.12, p.e17942, Article e17942
Main Authors: Andrade-de-Sá, Júlia, Brazil, Tania Kobler, Lira-da-Silva, Rejâne Maria, Brescovit, Antonio Domingos
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal Distribution
Animals
Bahia
Biodiversity
Biogeography
Biomes
Brazil
Computer software industry
Ecology
Ecosystem
Entomology
Geographic distribution
Loxosceles
Rain forests
Sicarius
South America
Spiders
Spiders - classification
United States
Zoology
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Summary:Sicariidae is a small family of cryptic and recluse spiders, with 178 species grouped into three genera: and . Only the last two occur in Brazil, where 29 species are recorded, with a greater number of records in the Southeast and South regions. To date, there is no regionalized study of the distribution of these spiders in the Northeast of Brazil. We presented more than four decades of data on the distribution of sicariid spiders in the state of Bahia. Our research aimed to identify and evaluate the distribution of sicariid species in this region, characterizing them in their biomes and phytophysiognomies. Data covers a period from 1983 to 2024, obtained from articles describing species recorded in Bahia and from three scientific collections from Brazilian institutions: Universidade Federal da Bahia (MHNBA); Instituto Butantan (IBSP); Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). Maps were produced using the QGIS 3.34.1 software, based on geographic coordinates obtained from the original literature, when provided. Species without information on geographic coordinates were georeferenced using the (geoLoc tool) for the municipalities. Biomes were consulted on the georeference Brazilian institute website and the phytophysiognomies were ignored when not specified in the data of collections or original literature. We confirmed 14 species of sicariid spiders in the state of Bahia, eight from the genus Loxosceles (i) and six from . The species were recorded in 48 municipalities, located mainly in the Caatinga biome. We recorded a distribution expansion of seven species: and . There is a difference in species composition in the two regions separated by the São Francisco River, an important geographic barrier especially for small invertebrates. More than 75% of the species were registered in the east side and about 20% exclusively in the west side: . This suggests the need for future studies to evaluate additional variables that determine community structure, especially considering their low vagility and reclusive behavior. Although are found almost exclusively in the Caatinga, there are isolated records from Restinga and dry forest enclaves in the Cerrado domain and Atlantic Forest areas. This reinforces the possibility of them being able to adapt to slightly wetter environments erase colonize and survive in seasonally dry rainforest areas. Unlike Sicarius (i), Loxosceles (i) occupy a wide variety of habitats in natural, urban and domiciliary situations. Many of t
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.17942