Abstract

Spiders can survive in most environments and are polypagous; therefore, they have great biodiversity. To explore spider fauna of Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, 23 species of spiders belonging to 15 genera and 9 families were collected and identified from April to September 09, 2010. The identified families were 4% each for Clubionidae, Scytodidae and Sprassidae; 9% each for Araneidae, Gnaphosidae, Pholicidae and Salticidae; 13% for Thomisidae and 43% for Lycosidae which was the dominant family of spiders of FATA. A detail study is required for further exploration of spider fauna of FR Peshawar, FATA, Pakistan; with special reference to the taxonomy, physiology and ecology.

Key words: Aranae, biodiversity, carapace, Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar, ground spiders, garden spiders.