CONTENTS:- 1. Spider morphology. 2. Life of spider: i. Reproduction and motherhood; ii. Egg laying pattern; iii. Hatching; iv. Moulting; v. Orb-weaving mechanism of spider; vi. Uses of different kinds of silk in spider's life; vii. Types of spider webs; viii. Silk used as dispersal device of spider; ix. Nests of spiders; x. Underground architects; xi. Diving spiders; xii. Hunting behaviour; xiii. Social behaviour; xiv. Losing of their body parts. 3. Taxonomy of spider: i. Classification of the spider families; ii. A key to identification of families of spiders; iii. Distinctive characteristics and ecological habitat of different genera of spiders in eastern Himalayas. 4. Feeding behaviour of spiders: i. Prey and preying behaviour; ii. Quantitative assessment of food; iii. Quantitative studies of the food of Linyphia triangularis Clerk (Araneae: Linyphiidae); iv. Feeding habits of Orb-weaving spider [Cyclosa turbinata (Walckenaer)] and wolf spider (Lycosa rabida, Walckenaer); v. Effect of prey abundance on the development of the spider agelenopsis potteri (blackwall) (Araneae, agelenidae) and Lycosa pseudoannulata (Bosenberg and strand) (Araneae: Lycosidae); vi. Effect of prey abundance on the functional response of Atypena formosana oi (Araneae: Linyphiidae); vii. Effect of prey abundance on the development of philodromus praelustrics keyserling (Araneae: Thomisidae) and Theridion Murarium Emerton (Araneae: Theridiidae); viii. Spider's first meal after moulting. 5. Role of spiders insect pest ecosystem of crops: i. Spider predators of cereal pests; ii. Spider predators of fruit crop pests; iii. Spider predators of cotton pests; iv. Spider predators of pulse and oilseed pests; v. Spider predators of vegetable crop pests; vi. Spider predators of flower and ornamental herb pests. 6. Common relatives of spiders in eastern Himalayas; Glossary of anatomical terms of spiders.
DESCRIPTION
This book gives a comprehensive account of predacious spiders of crop pests, which may be used as a text book for undergraduate and post graduate students of zoology, entomology, ecology and shall also serve as a hand book for agricultural experts, research scholars, supervisors and project coordinators. It also aims at identification of some important spiders with pictorial presentation. This book has given major emphasis on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and gained greater momentum in several countries.
