UTTAR PRADESH JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Sacred groves are important gene pools and the first major effort of the society to recognize and conserve biodiversity. In addition to preserving the biodiversity, they help in soil and water conservation. At present, the area covered by sacred groves in India is gradually declining owing to various socioeconomic factors. Like other groves of Kerala, Sacred groves of North Malabar region are also facing the threat of extinction from increasing anthropogenic activities. Sacred groves of Northern Kerala have rich and diverse flora that supports an important array of fauna. This study presents a checklist of the spider fauna in 15 the sacred groves. It is a pioneering study and no other studies done in this area. The sampling methods such as line transect method; handpicking in ground and strata, and beating were used to catch specimens. The caught specimens were preserved and identified to species and genus level using available literature. A total of 257 species of spiders belonging to 130 genera and 28 families were identified from the study area. The dominant family was Araneidae followed by Salticidae, Theridiidae, and Thomisidae, these families represent roughly the 47% of the total abundance. Five families were observed as rare in the study area with less than 2 individuals.