Vol. 7, Issue 12, Part B (2025)

The jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) are highly adaptable predators with ecological significance and strong habitat indicator potential. Despite their importance, data on Salticid diversity from Central India is highly limited, especially with regard to Chhattisgarh State. The present study was undertaken with the aim of estimating genera-level diversity and habitat associations of jumping spiders in Dongargarh, Chhattisgarh, and generating baseline data for biodiversity monitoring and future conservation initiatives.

Field surveys were conducted in five ecologically diverse sites, namely forests, grasslands, temple complexes, villages, and urban environments, between June and October 2024. Spiders were sampled by making use of the following methods: visual search, hand collection, pitfall traps, vegetation beating, and nocturnal surveys. All specimens were identified using keys from taxonomic literature, expert validation, and comparison with authoritative references. Analysis was done on the habitat-wise species distribution, percentage composition, and genera richness.

In total, seven species belonging to five genera were recorded. Menemerus and Cyclosa communities were the most dominant (28.57% each), followed by Hyllus, Plexippus, and Telamonia (14.28% each). Menemerus nigli showed high adaptability, occurring in varied natural and anthropogenic habitats, whereas Cyclosa and Hyllus are confined to specialized microhabitats such as moist vegetative zones and forest understory. All reported species belong to the IUCN "Not Evaluated" (NE) category, representing a gap at the global level of conservation.

The findings have highlighted the importance of habitat diversity in Salticid conservation and confirmed Menemerus to be an ecologically plastic and disturbance-tolerant genus. The study contributes baseline data and recommends long-term, systematic surveying with molecular validation to support effective conservation in Chhattisgarh.