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When I began this survey, I predicted that I would find about 35 species; as of this writing I have 171! This includes at least one new species and many new state and county records. I now have three notebooks filled with drawings of spiders, field notes, and other data and a spreadsheet summarizing this information. There is amazing diversity among my spiders. I have found 25 families, 102 genera and 171 species. The distribution is irregular; seven families are represented by only one species and well over half the species belong to 5 families: the Theridiidae (cobweb weavers, which include the very common black widow), the Gnaphosidae (ground spiders), the Dictynidae (hackle web weavers, very small spiders that mostly go unnoticed), the Salticidae (jumping spiders), and the Thomisidae (crab spiders). Forty percent of the species I have found only once and only five percent of the species have been found in all 8 years of the study. Identifying spiders is not easy. They are generally quite small and the characteristics that are used for identification can only be seen under a microscope. I do not want to kill my spiders, so I wrap them in a clear piece of super cling wrap, immobilizing them enough so that I can study them under my microscope. Spiders can generally be identified to species only as adults. Their complicated sexual organs are the features that allow very closely related species to be separated. Adult males have palps, large organs that emerge near the mouth region and make them look like they are wearing boxing gloves. Adult females have an epigynum, a hardened organ in her belly region into which the male palp fits like a lock and key, insuring that male and female belong to the same species. When I cannot figure out a species, I got help from New Mexico arachnologists Sandy Brantley at the University of New Mexico or Dave Richman at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, to whom I owe many thanks for their generous help. While conducting this research, I have learned a lot about the important role spiders play in pest control in my garden and have learned what sorts of garden design and practices encourage their presence. For instance, mulch is good for spiders as are rock walls with lots of little nooks and crannies which offer protection and a place to anchor webs. These features, along with avoiding the use of pesticides will help increase the diversity and abundance of these wonderful animals in your homes and gardens. Visit www.santafebotanicalgarden.org to learn more about how Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates and preserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region. |
As with many things that begin casually, my survey of the spider species in my house and garden, located in the South Capitol area of Santa Fe, has become something of an obsession. I began the survey in the summer of 2000, catching spiders when I happened to see them. I did drawings and recorded some basic information about each species in the back of a half used sketch book. However, I soon expanded my efforts. Spiders are still caught casually as I see them in the house and garden, but I also use a sweep net to catch them off of plants around the house and put pitfall traps in my garden, which I check every morning for spiders which have fallen in. I leave my porch light on and catch spiders which come to feed on the moths and other insects flying around the light. I even take them away from the predatory Formica ants which nest near my front door, grabbing them as the ant returns to her nest from a successful hunt. Moreover, my two children Alex and Vicky catch spiders for me, putting them in the small plastic vials that are a staple item on my office desk. 