Scrublands and the sunlit side support highly diverse harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) communities in two Iberian Mediterranean areas (Alicante, Spain)

The structure of harvestmen communities sampled in the Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park (Alcoi, Alicante, Spain) and the Sierra de Aitana (Confrides, Alicante, Spain) was analysed across 12 different localities, primarily sampled using pitfall traps, between 2020 and 2022. A total of 847 harvestmen, belonging to 10 species, were collected. Odiellus levantinus, Nelima hispana, Phalangium minus, and Cosmobunus granarius, present in both areas, were the most frequent species, with the highest niche breadth values. O. levantinus was the most abundant species in the Sierra de Aitana and Homalenotus coriaceus in the Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park. All species exhibited stenochronous development. The parameters of Clench's function indicated efficient sampling, and the richness values offered by the different estimators were close to those observed in both areas. In the Sierra de Aitana, shrublands were the most diverse localities, with C. granarius and P. minus as indicator species; while in the Carrascal de la Font Roja Natural Park, herbaceous and shrubland localities within the sunlit side were the most diverse.