Brushing aside doubts: an evaluation of the beat-sheet brushing technique for detecting the Nearctic tree trunk sheetweaver (Araneae: Linyphiidae).

This article focuses on evaluating the detection and recapture probabilities of the Nearctic treetrunk sheetweaver spider, *Drapetisca alteranda* (Araneae: Linyphiidae), using a standardized beat sheet and brushing technique on tree trunks. Conducted in a deciduous forest in Wisconsin, the capture/recapture study found 100% detection and over 90% recapture rates across three tree species—American basswood (*Tilia americana*), eastern cottonwood (*Populus deltoides*), and green ash (*Fraxinus pennsylvanica*)—with no significant effects of tree species, tree circumference, or bark furrowing on recapture success. The method proved replicable across different collectors and equally effective for male and female spiders despite sexual size dimorphism. These results support the reliability of this ecological sampling technique for monitoring small, cryptic arthropods specialized to tree trunk microhabitats.