BEHAVIOR AND NICHE SELECTION BY MAILBOX SPIDERS

The data for species of spiders observed and collected for a period of eight years from a rural delivery mailbox route in Mashpee, Massachus etts is examined. We collected 1252 individuals, with 199 species repr esented. Some species were year-round residents of mailboxes while oth ers appeared only during limited periods of time. Species typically fo und in the foliage of coniferous trees and on the trunks of pines and oaks dominated the collections, with lesser numbers from other types o f habitats. The species observed are divided into categories depending upon their consistency in terms of time of occurrence and number. Spe cies that occurred only rarely tended to be different from year to yea r.