Spider ASSemblAgeS of puting bAto CAve 3-4 And Surrounding KArSt foreSt environS, with AdditionAl noteS on the CAve-dwelling nAture of Phlogiellus kwebaburdeos

Spiders inside and outside Puting Bato Cave 3-4, Polillo Island, Quezon Province were surveyed and identified to determine if the newly-described mygalomorph spider, Phlogiellus kwebaburdeos Barrion-Dupo, Barrion & Rasalan is a cave resident. Three species of spiders from the families Pholcidae, Theraphosidae and Sparassidae were collected inside the cave while 43 were collected and recorded outside the cave. Fifteen spider families were recorded from the forested area near Cave 3-4. Jumping spiders (Salticidae) were the most species-rich (13 species). P. kwebaburdeos was observed to take advantage of the cave environment as a nursery. P. kwebaburdeos constructed multiple-entrance nests to serve as protection against predators. The cave environment also served as hunting ground for food. Identified possible prey items were cave crickets of the family Rhaphidophoridae, a frog Platymantis dorsalis Dumeril, 1853 and a cave dwelling cockroach Pycnoscelus striatus Kirby, 1903