Ground- and Foliage-Dwelling Spiders in Four Soybean Cropping Systems

Five dominant spider families were found on Virginia soybeans, two on the ground (Lycosidae and Linyphiidae) and three on the foliage (Oxyopidae, Thomisidae, and Salticidae). Total foliage-dwelling spiders peaked in early August and again in early September 1981, and in early to mid-August in 1982. Ground spiders peaked in June with the greatest abundance of Lycosidae. While higher spider populations were collected from foliage in soybeans double-cropped after barley harvest and in full-season soybeans that were drill-planted, the ground spiders were more numerous in both barley- and wheatsoybean double-cropped systems. Over 25,000 spider specimens from 17 different families were observed in soybean ecosystems during this 2-year study.