THE SPIDER GUIDE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
NEW CD-ROM
Spiders comprise one of the largest groups of land animals and occur commonly
in gardens frequently entering houses. They are one of the groups most feared by
humans because of the venom they produce. Although they are feared and much
maligned, they are important predators in our ecosystems. Southern Africa has a
rich spider fauna with about 3000 known species.
This new CD-ROM was released in July 2002 and it contains information on all
the 67 spider families of Southern Africa. Scattered information from scientific
papers and handbooks are grouped together to provide an informative full colour
guide, including 841 colour images, on the spiders of Southern Africa.
The CD-ROM provides general information on spider morphology, life styles,
biology, the role of spiders in nature and the species of medical importance.
For each family and subfamily the following is provided: common names of the
genera and more common species, a list of the genera and number of species in
each, descriptive characters of the family, information on webs and retreats,
general behaviour, the habitats where they are commonly found, notes on their
distribution pattern, prey and medical importance. The CD is also provided with
hyper-linked A-Z search, glossary and photo gallery.
This CD-ROM should appeal to the professional scientist, as well as amateur
naturalist alike. It will provide the reader information to identify our fast
spider fauna and to better appreciate the wonderful and diverse world of
spiders. The information will be of importance to the general public needing
information to enable them to recognize the species commonly encountered in and
around houses. The colour images will also help to identify the medical
important species. Schools could use it in computer centres as an aid for school
projects. Nature conservation agencies, universities and technikons involved in
biodiversity surveys would find the information and colour images of great value
in identifying spiders. It would be an important information tool to any
library.
Publisher: ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute (CD-ROM series 2.1.2002)
Author: Ansie S. Dippenaar-Schoeman
Publication date: July 2002
ISBN: 1-86849249-4
Price: R 120.00 (including VAT, excluding postage and packaging)
For more information contact the author at:
Dr. A.S. Dippenaar-Schoeman
Tel: 012 3293269; Fax: 012 3293278
E-mail: rietasd@plant2.agric.za
It is available from the internet www.arc.agric.za
(shopping) or ARC-PPRI PUBLICATIONS
ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute,
Private Bag X134, Pretoria, 0001,
South Africa.
Tel: +27 12 808 0952;
Fax: +27 12 808 952
e-mail: nipblk@plant1.agric.za or info@plant1.agric.za
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