A survey of the spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of Chichagof Island, Alaska, USA

Authors

  • Jozef Slowik Department of Zoology Denver Museum of Nature and Science 2001 Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80205 phone: (303) 370-6354

Keywords:

southeast Alaska, species richness estimators, species list, species diversity

Abstract

A spider survey was conducted over the summer of 2003 on Chichagof Island, Alaska, USA. Based on this, as well as on data from a preliminary survey in 2002, and two subsequent visits, a preliminary list of 95 spider species is presented for the island. This survey resulted in 10 new species records for Alaska and 8 species not known to occur in British Columbia. The data were tested for completeness using Chao 1, Chao 2, bootstrap, and Michaelis-Menten species richness equations. The number of species observed fell within the variance for both Chao indicators but was below the other two estimators indicating that more species may still be found. Twenty-two micro and three macro habitats were defined in the survey. All data were submitted to the Nearctic Spider Database and cataloged on the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s website.

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