Where Spiders Live Map
WouterSpiders have evolved in many ways. Environmental processes and genetic processes have shaped their evolutionary history. But their distributions are also influenced by geological and behavioural processes.
Some spiders have a very wide range. Wolf spiders are widely distributed and are found in a variety of habitats, including man-made structures like basements. Some have special microhabitat requirements. They may build burrows or turrets.
Some spiders use ballooning to disperse, while others travel long distances in large numbers. These aerial dispersal methods help maintain the spider’s distribution. However, they are vulnerable to predation, which could disrupt their foraging strategy.
In addition, isolated populations have high genetic variation. This can result in a bottleneck effect. As such, the geographic range of a species may vary substantially, leading to the discovery of new species.
In the future, studies should investigate how species-specific cooperative foraging strategies are affected by group size and predation pressure. This research will help determine whether ontogeny and the environment play a role in shaping them.
Currently, Joro spiders are known to live in Georgia, South Carolina and Oklahoma. They may have arrived in the United States on shipping containers from East Asia. They are believed to have spread as far north as Asheville, North Carolina.
The American Museum of Natural History publishes a world spider catalog. This list is an excellent resource to identify spiders in your area. There are more than 500 species in the catalog. If you want to find out more about any particular species, visit their website.
