SCRIPTA BIOLOGICA | VOLUME 4 | NOMER 2 | JUNI 2017 | 95–98 | HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.20884/1.SB.2017.4.2.402 | http://scri.bio.unsoed.ac.id 95 SPIDER DIVERSITY (ARACHNIDA: ARANEAE) OF THE TEA PLANTATION AT SERANG VILLAGE, KARANGREJA SUB-DISTRICT, DISTRICT OF PURBALINGGA GIANTI SIBARANI, IMAM WIDHIONO, DARSONO Fakultas Biologi, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Jalan dr. Suparno 63 Purwokerto 53122 ABSTRACT Spiders are crucial in controlling insect pest population. The various cultivation managements such as fertilizer and pesticide application, weeding, pruning, harvesting, and cropping system affect their diversity. In the plantation, vegetation diversification has applied various practices, including monoculture, and intercropping, which influence the spider community. Thus, this study was intended to determine the spider abundance and diversity of the tea plantation, and the intercropping field (tea and strawberry) at Serang village, Karangreja Sub-District, District of Purbalingga. A survey and purposive sampling techniques were conducted, then the spiders were hand collected. Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’), Evenness (E), Simpson’s dominance (D), and Sorensen’s similarity (IS) indices were used to measure the spider diversity. The results revealed a total number of 575 individual spiders from 10 families, i.e., Araneae, Araneidae, Clubionidae, Linyphiidae, Lycosidae, Nephilidae, Oxyopidae, Salticidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiidae, and Thomisidae. Araneidae was the most abundant in both fields. The total abundance of spiders in tea plantation (379 individuals), however, was greater than that in the intercropping field (196 individuals). Shannon-Wiener diversity reached H’ = 1.873 in the plantation, and H’ = 1.975 in the intercropping field. KEY WORDS: diversity, Araneae, spider, plantation Corresponding Author: IMAM WIDHIONO | email: imamwidhiono@yahoo.com INTRODUCTION An agroecosystem is a man-modified ecosystem to produce desired crops. It provides a habitat for cultivated plants, wild plants, weeds, animals, and microbes. The habitat is grouped into the annual plant, and the seasonal plant habitats (Altieri & Nicholls, 2004). The former might potentially increase spider population on a landscape scale, and spider abundance in cultivated fields (Schmidt & Tscharntke, 2005). Spiders are common in agroecosystem such as plantation. They contribute immensely to biodiversity in agroecosystem and play a major role as an effective component of natural pest control (Symondson et al., 2002). Various cultivation activities such as fertilizer and pesticide application, weeding, pruning, harvest, and crop systems, performed by the human in plantation fields, affect the spider community (Altieri & Nicholls, 2004). Intensive management for better crop production involving the use of synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilizers has raised concerns in reduced diversity and abundance of arthropods, including spiders (Thomas & Marshall, 1999). Nevertheless, cropping systems with conservation techniques might stimulate predatory arthropods diversity and abundance (Altieri & Nicholls, 2004). Diversification of vegetation in plantation involves various practices, such as monoculture and intercropping, which affect the spider diversity and abundance (Andow, 1991). According to Russell (1989), intercropping provides more niches than monoculture, thereby, increasing the spider diversity and abundance, the natural enemies of the pest. Serang village belongs to the typology of Near- Forest Village in the area of Karangreja Sub-District, District of Purbalingga, Province of Central Java. The village is on the Mount Slamet slope which has rich soil spreading across 2,096.916 Ha. This area mostly is agricultural (strawberry cultivation) or plantation (tea) fields (Sugito, 2016). Tea plantation is a stable and complex ecosystem which provides a habitat for many species of spiders that play a role in controlling insect pest population of tea plant (Das et al., 2010; Yan et al., 1998). However, plant cultivation practices may decrease their diversity and abundance (Thomas & Marshall, 1999). Biological control refers to natural biotic management and regulation of insect pest suppression below economic injury level (Hazarika et al., 2001). Understanding the spider community within plant scope is important to improve pest control, and comprehend the compelling factors affecting conservation strategy (Raychaudhuri, 2016). This study was aimed to investigate the spider abundance and diversity in tea plantation and intercropping field (tea and strawberry) in Serang Village, Karangreja Sub-District, District of Purbalingga. The scientific information of this study was expected to contribute to spider diversity knowledge in plantation field and to highlight the importance of spiders as a biological control agent. METHODS Materials included spiders and 70% alcohol, and the tools were specimen jars, measuring tape, plastic string, stationery, stereo microscope, petri dish, camera, and self- adhesive labels.