Searching Responses of a Hunting Spider to Cues Associated with Lepidopteran Eggs

The hunting spider Cupiennius salei uses airflow generated by flying insects for the guidance of its prey-capture jump. We investigated the velocity field of the airflow generated by a freely flying blowfly close to the flow sensors on the spider's legs. It shows three characteristic phases (I–III). (I) When approaching, the blowfly induces an airflow signal near the spider with only little fluctuation (0.013 ± 0.006 m s −1 ) and a strength that increases nearly exponentially with time (maximum: 0.164 ± 0.051 m s −1 s.d.). The spider detects this flow while the fly is still 38.4 ± 5.6 mm away. The fluctuation of the airflow above the sensors increases linearly up to 0.037 m s −1 with the fly's altitude. Differences in the time of arrival and intensity of the fly signal at different legs probably inform the spider about the direction to the prey. (II) Phase II abruptly follows phase I with a much higher degree of fluctuation (fluctuation amplitudes: 0.114 ± 0.050 m s −1 ). It starts when the fly is directly above the sensor and corresponds to the time-dependent flow in the wake below and behind the fly. Its onset indicates to the spider that its prey is now within reach and triggers its jump. The spider derives information on the fly's position from the airflow characteristics, enabling it to properly time its jump. The horizontal velocity of the approaching fly is reflected by the time of arrival differences (ranging from 0.038 to 0.108 s) of the flow at different legs and the exponential velocity growth rate (16–79 s −1 ) during phase I. (III) The air flow velocity decays again after the fly has passed the spider.

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Corrigendum to ‘‘A lectin from the Chinese bird-hunting spider binds sialic acids” [Carbohydr. Res. 344 (2009) 1515]

Carbohydrate Research ◽

10.1016/j.carres.2010.01.003 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 345 (6) ◽

pp. 860

Author(s):

Hans-Christian Siebert ◽

Shan-Yun Lu ◽

Rainer Wechselberger ◽

Karin Born ◽

Thomas Eckert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sialic Acids ◽

Hunting Spider

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ADULT SIZE OF EIGHT HUNTING SPIDER SPECIES IN CENTRAL AMAZONIA: TEMPORAL VARIATIONS AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISMS

Journal of Arachnology ◽

10.1636/0161-8202(2002)030[0146:asoehs]2.0.co;2 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 146 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Thierry Ray Gasnier ◽

Clarissa Salette de Azevedo ◽

Martha Patricia Torres-Sanchez ◽

Hubert Höfer

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variations ◽

Adult Size ◽

Spider Species ◽

Sexual Dimorphisms ◽

Central Amazonia ◽

Hunting Spider

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Evolution of the male palp morphology of the orb-weaver hunting spider Chorizopes (Araneae : Araneidae) revisited on a new phylogeny of Araneidae, and description of a third species from Madagascar

Invertebrate Systematics ◽

10.1071/is18061 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Robert J. Kallal ◽

Gustavo Hormiga

Keyword(s):

Nucleotide Sequence ◽

Phylogenetic Tree ◽

Foraging Behaviour ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Total Evidence ◽

Nucleotide Sequence Data ◽

The Third ◽

Evidence Analysis ◽

First Time ◽

Hunting Spider

The genus Chorizopes (Araneae, Araneidae) includes over two dozen species of webless araneids found mainly in the Indomalayan region. They are characterised by a distinctive bulbous carapace and a specialised foraging behaviour: preying on other orb-weavers. Chorizopes casictones, sp. nov. (Araneae, Araneidae) is described based on specimens collected in northern Madagascar. This species represents the third member of Chorizopes known from the island. We conducted a total-evidence analysis based on morphology, behaviour and nucleotide sequence data, including this taxon for the first time. The palpal morphology of the male of Chorizopes is illustrated in detail. We discuss the palpal homologies and the evolution of araneid palpal sclerites based on the newly inferred family phylogenetic tree.

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