Feeding habits of the jumping spider Anasaitis canosa (Araneae: Salticidae) in the field
Abstract
The twin flagged jumping spider, Anasaitis canosa (Walckenaer) (Araneae: Salticidae) is a common ant-predating spider whose diet has been quantified previously only in the laboratory. We investigated the diet of this spider species in the field, as well as approximated its abundance in the observation area. During 30 d of observation, A. canosa occurred in a density of 2.43 ± 1.35 spiders per m2 where 32 attacks were observed on a variety of invertebrate prey. These results parallel previous observations of spiders having greater success killing ant workers opposed to other invertebrates in addition to providing evidence that these spiders likely are not dietary specialists on ant prey.
Sumario
La araña saltarina de bandera gemela, Anasaitis canosa (Walckenaer) (Araneae: Salticidae) es una araña depredadora de hormigas común cuya dieta se ha cuantificado previamente solo en el laboratorio. Investigamos la dieta de esta especie de araña en el campo, así como aproximamos su abundancia en el área de observación. Durante 30 días de observación, A. canosa se presentó en una densidad de 2.43 ± 1.35 arañas por m2 donde se observaron 32 ataques en una variedad de presas invertebradas. Estos resultados son paralelos a las observaciones previas de arañas que tienen más éxito matando a las hormigas trabajadoras en comparación con otros invertebrados, además de proporcionar evidencia de que estas arañas probablemente tienen una dieta especializada en las hormigas presas.
Key Words: stenophagy; myrmecophagy; spider ecology; Florida
View this article in BioOne
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.
