Table of Contents

Introduction The Biophysical Geography of Panama Geography Climate Vegetation The Future of the Natural Environments The Investigation of the Spider Fauna The Increase in the Number of Species Known from Panama The Principal Arachnologists Involved in the Taxonomy of Panamanian Spiders The Taxonomic Situation The Spider Fauna in the Lowland Rainforest Description of Locations Species Composition Phenology Annual Occurrence of Major Groups Seasonality of Species A Comparison of the Spider Communities in the Tropical and Temperate Zones Habitat Comparison Number of Species Individuals per Species Diversity and Evenness Continental Comparison Origin of the Panamanian Spider Fauna The Evolution of Spiders and the Continental Drift The Origin of Panamanian Spiders The Distribution of Selected Taxa Spider Associations Associations with Plants Flowers Leaves Banana Plants Bark Spiders on Spider Webs Site of Spider Collections Species List Key to Families Literature Plates Index