Considerations on the conservation of Italian spiders

According to a recent estimation the number of species of spiders currently recorded in Italy is 1609. At European level, the diversity of Italian spiders stands out for being the richest one, characterized by a high relative presence of endemic species. Moreover, the ecological importance of spiders in the terrestrial ecosystems has been widely demonstrated in literature, especially in relation to their sensitiveness to environmental changes and to their position in the trophic chain. Despite their faunistic and ecological importance, spiders received poor attention from the conservation point of view, both at National and European level. The only species of spider reported in the legislation (Bern Convention and Habitats Directive) is Macrothele calpeiana (Araneae, Hexathelidae) a remarkable mygalomorph endemic from Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, IUCN reports five species in the Vulnerable (VU) and Data Deficient (DD) categories of which only one (Dolomedes plantarius) in Italy. The main reasons at the base of this situation are, at least in Italy, the general lack of interest by the scientific-academic community and, last but not least, the common unmotivated repulsion towards this group of arthropods. On the other hand, interventions aiming at the conservation of endangered habitats (i.e. NATURA 2000 sites), contributes indirectly to the conservation of several important species of spiders. On the base of our recent progress in the understanding of the Italian spider fauna, we illustrate the case of some species deserving conservation measures. Such cases have been recently presented to the new developing IUCN International Group for the Conservation of Spiders. In light of our results, a correct policy of conservation of spiders should necessarily lie inside the development of basic knowledge of the Italian fauna, especially focusing on the distribution and the ecology of the species inhabiting the most threatened habitats.