New records of spiders Araneae, Corinnidae, Thomisidae, and Theridiidae: impact of environmental degradation analysis in Peshawar Valley, Pakistan

Abstract

The genus Sinothomisus Tang, Yin, Griswold & Peng, 2006, previously known only from South China and represented by Sinothomisus hainanus (Song, 1994), is recorded here for the first time from Pakistan, where it shows a clumped population distribution. The genus Monaeses Thorell, 1869, is also newly documented in the study area, represented by Monaeses israeliensis Levy, 1973, a species widely reported from the Middle East and observed with an even population distribution. Additionally, the Central Asian ant-mimicking spider Castianeira arnoldii Charitonov, 1946, is reported for the first time in Pakistan and exhibits a clumped distribution pattern. The species Theridion melanostictum O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876, is newly recorded from the subtropical northwestern Hindu Kush region of the Peshawar Valley and demonstrates a uniform population distribution. Environmental pressures in the region are increasing due to agricultural expansion, intensive mining, land-use change, habitat degradation, and overgrazing in scrub mountain ecosystems. Infrastructure development and increasing anthropogenic activities further intensify these disturbances, significantly affecting predatory arthropods, particularly spiders. Such environmental changes may reduce suitable habitats for endemic species while promoting the spread of eurytopic species, potentially leading to the displacement of specialized stenotopic taxa. Photographs of habits and genital structures are provided for identification.