Spider fauna of Quebec 



JESO Volume 139, 2008 



Discussion 



In the first update of the spiders of Quebec, Paquin and Duperre (2006) estimated 

 that 35% of the records reported were unpredictable, because species ranges were too far 

 from Quebec, or these species were too rare to allow any sound predictions. From the eight 

 records reported in the present paper, three are considered unpredictable, confirming the 

 important proportion of such occurrences (37.5%) in faunistic updates. 



Pickavance and Dondale (2005) presented a comparative table of spider richness 

 per province, in which Quebec was represented by 617 species and 28 families. The present 

 update brings the total to 667 species and 31 families. This leads to a re-evaluation of the 

 predicted spider fauna for the province: 667 known species (present paper); 129 probable 

 species (updated from Paquin et al. 200 1 ); 45 unpredictable species records (35% of probable 

 records), suggesting a potential of 841 species for Quebec. The parameter not included in 

 this equation remains the number of species that are still undescribed. There is no doubt 

 that many species (described or not) await discovery and that future bio-inventories and 

 ecological projects will provide additional records and species. This is particularly true for 

 habitats, microhabitats, and regions that are not well understood such as bogs, fens, forest 

 canopy, high altitude habitats and northern localities. 



Acknowledgements 



We would like to first thank CD. Dondale (CNC), N.I. Platnick and L. Sorkin 

 (AMNH), L. Leibensperger and G. Giribet (MCZ), who facilitated the consultation of 

 the collections under their responsibilities. The bio-inventory of the Pare National de la 

 Yamaska (carried out under the supervision of A. Mochon), was supported by P. Depelteau, 

 Director of the Pare National de la Yamaska. Field work was accomplished each week by 

 L. Monty, G. Rossini, M. Caron and M. Cyr; and we also appreciate the occasional help 

 of A. Cabana, P. Blanchette and P. Gagne. Maxim Larrivee would like to acknowledge the 

 numerous field and laboratory assistants (K. Robert, K. Brochu, K. Aikens, B. Schroeder, Z. 

 Sylvain, J. Bowden, and J.F. Aublet), and Chris Buddie for funding the fieldwork through 

 his National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (discovery 

 grant to CMB), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation New Opportunities Grant (Project 

 #9548, to CMB), and the Department of Natural Resource Sciences (McGill University). 

 This paper also benefited from specimens collected by independent collectors: L. LeSage, 

 C. Chantal, and D.J. Buckle and from comments from R.E. Leech, A. Bennett and an 

 anonymous reviewer, and we are thankful for their contribution. This is publication no. 

 7 of the Karst Biosciences and Environmental Geophysics Research Laboratories, SWCA 

 Environmental Consultants. 



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