Comparison of collection methods for Araneae in a predominately short grass prairie ecosystem

A base line survey of arthropods was initiated in June 2007 at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, a 235,896 acre military training site near Trinidad, CO. Nine habitats and 10 sites were selected and sampled by pitfall trapping, sweep netting, beat bag sampling, and malaise trapping. As part of that study, adult Araneae were collected and identified for the 2007 collection season. Species richness, abundance, and Shannon’s diversity were calculated and compared between collection methods for adult Araneae. Pitfall trapping was the most effective method of capture with 111 species collected with this method. Other sampling methods yielded 21 (sweep netting), 3 (beat bag sampling), and 2 (malaise trapping) species. Although only one year of sampling was conducted, the Araneae community at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is highly diverse compared to other studies of Araneae in a short grass prairie ecosystem. Pitfall trapping was the most efficient collection method with high abundance and species richness. Sampling techniques like sweep netting and beat bag sampling that are useful in other types of grassland sampling, were largely ineffective at collecting the spider community present in this short grass prairie dominated collection site.