First report of Nephila clavata L. Koch, 1878 (Araneae: Araneidae) from Bihar and Uttar-Pradesh, India

Abstract

Spiders are notable natural enemies in terrestrial ecosystems. The present study is based on the specimens collected of the family Araneidae Simon, 1895 during the course of a field survey of the Uttar-Pradesh and eastern border area of Bihar in the month of October on October 15, 2017. The spiders were collected from the plantation of the Tectona by inverted umbrella method. Four female spiders’ fauna have recorded and identified as Nephila clavata L. Koch, 1878. These fauna are the first confirmed records from the both provinces, Bihar as well as Uttar-Pradesh. The descriptions of the species have made based on the morphological characters. The identifying features of the species were elongated abdomen; cephalothorax with convex and elevated cephalic region. The Carapace provided with ‘V’ shaped yellow patch on the top. Morphometric measurement of the fauna was also presented in the paper.