Spiders (Araneae) of the northeast of the Luhansk Oblast (Ukraine)

Biodivers Data J. 2023 Feb 3:11:e99304. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e99304. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background: The dataset contains records of spiders collected in the northeast of Luhansk Oblast in the periods 1982-1989, 2009-2011 and 2021. It aimed at the inventory of spider fauna of the Striltsivskyi Steppe Nature Reserve and species distribution in the main grassland and forest habitats of the region. The research was also concerned with the impact of conservation management ‒ hay mowing or strict protection and man-induced steppe fire on spider communities.

New information: The dataset includes records from seven geographical localities in the northeast of Luhansk Oblast with 1,955 occurrences of 6662 individuals. For the first time, it provides detailed information about spider species composition, phenology and habitat distiribution within the study area, including two conservation areas and the primary material on the studies on the impact of hay making and steppe fire on spider communities. All the records of 246 spider species with georeferencing were published in GBIF.

Keywords: Arachnida; arachnofauna; conservation management; diversity; protected areas; steppe region.