author(s)
Ronaldo Bastos Francini, Alexandre Barril Dalla Pria

abstract
This work aimed to: (1) map the location of webs of the spider Verrucosa arenata (Walckenaer 1841) (Arachnida: Araneida) along transect (dirty road) in the edges of a rainforest in SE Brazil, (2) estimate the density of webs and their spatial orientation in relation to forest border, and (3) correlate the presence/density of webs with solar radiation intensity. The species were choose because its relative abundance in the study area and total absence of studies in Brazil. In 2010-2011 we studied 48 individuals (46 females and 2 males) of V. arenata, with spider number having a strong increase in the beginning of autumn 2011, coincident with the peak of flowering and insect activity. Most webs of V. arenata were located mainly in the last three kilometers of the road where the measured solar radiation was lesser than that the six initial kilometers. Webs were oriented between 15° and 290°.