Aerial (aboveground) arthropods are a key link in the grazing food chain of salt marsh ecosystems, and the characteristics of arthropod functional groups have been hotly debated. But unfortunately, little research exists on the functional groups of aerial arthropods in the salt marsh. Still less information is available for the salt marshes of the Yangtze Estuary. Chongming-Dongtan is one of the largest salt marshes in the Yangtze Estuary. In 2007, 3 permanent sampling sites were established in each of three different vegetation zones in the Chongming-Dongtan salt marshes. These zones were identified as the native Phragmites australis zone, the Scirpus mariqueter zone, and the exotic Spartina alterniflora zone. Based on monthly sweep net surveys of arthropods during neap tides from April to November, the characteristics of arthropod functional groups in the aerial habitat of the salt marsh and the effects of vegetation type were analyzed. Because of the special attention given to exotic species, especially S. alterniflora, impacts of this alien species were emphasized. A total of 3778 specimens of arthropods were collected, belonging to 2 classes, 11 orders, 37 families and 49 species. According to their trophic characteristics, the arthropods were divided into three functional groups: phytophagous, predatory-parasitic, and saprophagous. Among them, the phytophagous group had the highest species richness and abundance. This functional group consisted of 25 species, which belong to 1 class, 6 orders and 19 families, accounting for 51.0% of the total number of species and 86.2% of the total number of individuals. The predatory-parasitic group had 21 species of 2 classes, 7 orders and 15 families, accounting for 42.9% of the total number of species and 7.8% of the total number of individuals. The saprophagous functional group had the lowest species richness and abundance. It had 3 species comprised of 1 class, 1 order and 3 families, accounting for 6.1% of the total number of species and 6.0% of the total number of individuals. In different vegetation zones, the predatory-parasitic and phytophagous groups demonstrated the characteristics of "enemy tracing". But such characteristics could only be found for the number of species that had significant correlations between these two groups, not for the number of individuals. In the different vegetation zones, the composition, species diversity and monthly variation of characteristics of the functional groups were different, but these differences were not significant. Vegetation type appeared to have no significant effect on arthropod functional group in the aerial habitat of the salt marsh. Furthermore, the introduced exotic species S. alterniflora had no significant negative effects, contrary to what others have observed. The arthropod functional groups in the aerial habitat of the S. alterniflora zone were not significantly different from those in the other vegetation zones with respect to the number of species and individuals, species diversity, and monthly variation. Relative to the phytophagous group, although the number of individuals in the S. alterniflora zone was obviously lower than in the other vegetation zones, the number of species in the S. alterniflora zone was equivalent to those in the other zones. The mechanisms that control these findings need further investigation.