Abstract

DE LA CRUZ-PEREZ, ARACELY; PEREZ-DE LA CRUZ, MANUEL; SANCHEZ-SOTO, SAÚL  and  TORRES-DE LA CRUZ, MAGDIEL. Population fluctuation of spiders (Araneae: Tetragnathidae, Pholcidae) in cocoa agroecosystem Tabasco, México. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.1, pp.139-146. ISSN 0120-0488.

The abundance of Leucauge argyra y Pholcus sp. was studied in different microhabitats of cocoa agroecosystem in the southeast of Mexico. Four vertical microhabitats were defined: “drains”, “lower area”, “Middle area” and “Canopy”. In addition three times of the year were considered: windy, dry and rainy. Leucauge argyra was dominant in the rainy season in the four microhabitats, and in the drains during the windy season (D = 0.71). Pholcus sp. was dominant in the lower area (D = 0.32) and middle area (D = 0.22) during the windy season. In addition, the presence of Pholcus sp. was noticeable during the dry season in the lower area and fewer in the cocoa tree canopy. The agroecosystem stracture, crop management, migration of spiders, and the variation of the temperature and relative humidity in the year are factors that influence the abundance of dominant species between the layers studied. The fluctuation of spiders reflects changes in the abundance of both species during the seasons in the cocoa crop. To our knowledge, this work is one of thefirst studies reporting the preferences of establishment of L. argyra and Pholcus sp. within the microhabitats in the cocoa agroecosystem in México.

Keywords : Abundance; Cocoa; Dominance.

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