ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are a classic indicator taxon for evaluating the health of natural environments. However, studies of spiders' responses to forest succession under natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes are lacking. Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan has a unique forest ecosystem, and part of the island is designated as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO. Approximately 90% of Yakushima is covered by forest, including both plantations and natural forests. NEW INFORMATION: We made an inventory of spiders on Yakushima Island by collecting specimens in five forests (two plantations and three natural forests) with Malaise and window traps from 2006 to 2008 (a total of 637 traps). We collected 3487 specimens, representing 31 families and 165 species or morphotypes, including undescribed and unidentified species. All specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol, and all data were gathered into a Darwin Core Archives as sample event data. The data set is available from the GBIF network (http://www.gbif.org/dataset/f851fd75-32b2-4a23-8046-9c8ae7013a3c). Because there have been no spider inventories based on such a systematic trapping survey in Japan, this data set provides new insight into the biodiversity on Yakushima Island.
