author(s)
Anis Joseph R, KS Premila

abstract
The study on thernabundance and species richness of spiders in the paddy fields ofrnThiruvananthapuram district of Kerala state brought out the spider diversityrnwithin the rice ecosystem. A total of sixty five species of spidersrnrepresenting two major groups, hunters and web builders, which belong to elevenrnfamilies and seven foraging guilds was documented. The species composition ofrnhunters was more than the web building spiders, although the latter wasrnnumerically dominant. The dominant guild was orb web weavers. Araneidae was thernfamily with more species composition, followed by Tetragnathidae andrnSalticidae. The predominant genus being Tetragnatha, and species, Tetragnatharnmandibulata Walckenaer. Seventeen species of spiders were reported for thernfirst time from the rice fields of Kerala, and it included the three dominantrnspiders, viz., Neoscona rumpfi Tikaderrn& Biswas, Bianor carli ReimoserandrnThomisus projectus Tikader.