Arachnologische Mitteilungen
https://arages.de/zeitschrift/arachnologische-mitteilungenBüll K & Buchholz S
Epigeic spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in urban green spaces in Westphalia
Heft 71
This dataset was generated to assess urban biotic homogenization in epigeic spider (Arachnida: Araneae) communities across urban public parks in the Münsterland region, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Spiders were sampled in 15 cities using standardized pitfall traps in 30 plots (two plots per city). Sampling sites consisted of managed lawns interspersed with scattered trees, shrubs, and footpaths. Pitfall traps were active from 6. May to 17. Jun. 2025 and were emptied every 21 days. Four traps per plot were installed in areas with minimal direct disturbance, resulting in a total of 120 traps. Due to occasional disturbance or trap loss, the number of functioning traps per plot was sometimes reduced. In total, 2599 adult individuals and 418 juveniles were collected, representing 90 species from 22 families. All recorded species are classified as not endangered according to the Red List of North Rhine-Westphalia. The dataset provides a basis for analysing beta diversity and species composition across urban green spaces and can be used to test the urban biotic homogenization hypothesis.
Araneae, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, spider assemblages, urban biotic homogenization, urban green spaces