In the Bag: Leaf Litter‐Filled Artificial Cover Objects Reveal Urban Habitat Associations for Predatory Invertebrates (Onychophora: Peripitoides novaezealandiae and Araneae: Uliodo

Velvet worms and vagrant spiders are two predatory invertebrate taxa that can occupy urban forests, but understanding their habitat associations in these environments has been hampered by a lack of effective monitoring methods. We assessed how forest age and type affected the numbers of velvet worms and vagrant spiders detected within leaf litter‐filled bags after 1, 6, 11 and 19 months at 21 sites across Wellington, New Zealand. Sites were distributed across a remnant old‐growth forest, a ‘predator free’ ecosanctuary with secondary forest >100 years old, and fragments of younger forest. Velvet worms were observed in bags after 11 months and in greater numbers after 19 months. Vagrant spiders were more frequently encountered than velvet worms, with two or more vagrant spiders observed at each site across all checks. Velvet worm detections were significantly higher in the ecosanctuary, followed by the remnant forest, with fewer detections in the younger forest fragments. Conversely, vagrant spiders showed no significant difference in abundance between habitats. Forest maturity and possibly control of pest rodents seem to favour greater abundance of velvet worms in Wellington. Leaf litter‐filled bags are a promising, non‐lethal method for detecting velvet worms, vagrant spiders and a range of other invertebrates.