Species inventory and morphological traits of spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) and ants (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in northern Ghana

Agricultural expansion, a leading driver of biodiversity loss, has widespread effects on ecosystem services, particularly in tropical regions. In West Africa, the impact of intensified agriculture on local biodiversity – especially predator and decomposer species like spiders and ants – is understudied. This study in northern Ghana examines the species diversity and functional traits of spiders and ants in human-transformed mango orchards and pristine savanna, aiming to compare the biodiversity of intensively managed agroecosystems and the extensively managed natural habitats. Insights will aid in estimating the effort needed to promote diversity through agroecological practices in mango orchards.

In this data paper, we publish the baseline checklist and morphological traits of spiders (Araneae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) associated with mango orchards and forest savannas located in northern Ghana. In total, we collected 64 species (including 29 unidentified morphospecies) of spiders and 64 species (including 24 unidentified morphospecies) of ants. Of these, almost all spider species and nine ant species were new records for Ghana, while many of the morphospecies could potentially be undescribed new species to science. In addition, we collected six morphological traits for spiders: total body length, prosoma length, prosoma width, prosoma height, tibia I (leg) length, and fang length; and four traits for ants: total body length, head length, scape length, and eye distance.