New predatory interaction of Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) on Fidicinini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a forest fragment of the Neotropical region

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  New predatory interaction of Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) on Fidicinini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a forest fragment of the Neotropical region Abstract Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) is an orb web-building spider whose diet is primarily based on flying insects. This note aims to report the first predatory interaction of T. clavipes on a cicada of the genus Fidicina (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The predation event was observed (ad libitum) in the Benjamin Maranhão Botanical Garden situated in the Mata do Buraquinho Wildlife Refuge, northeastern Brazil. A specimen of Fidicina sp. was found freshly dead and trapped in the web of T. clavipes. The nephilid was observed moving slowly between the ventral and dorsal regions of the Fidicina sp. without weaving a web around the cicadid. Then, T. clavipes was observed perched on the left side of the Fidicina sp., with its pedipalps and chelicerae manipulating the thorax ...

Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk

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 Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk


Abstract

Among spiders, movement in aquatic environments, including below the water’s surface or on the surface film, is completed using a variety of techniques that do not involve the use of silk, including swimming, walking, and rowing. The use of silk to assist with aquatic locomotion has been explored only to a limited extent. In this study, we report on observations of a long-jawed spider (Family: Tetragnathidae) from Australia, Tetragnatha nitens, moving across the surface film in two different manners, one of which involves the use of silk. The first observation was of a female T. nitens walking across the water’s surface when prompted by a predation attempt: the spider used its front three pairs of legs for propulsion while the back pair remained motionless on the water, likely for stabilization. The second observation featured a male T. nitens utilizing a silk line to reel itself towards emergent vegetation while gliding across the water. Our findings support work on other long-jawed spiders, revealing that individual species can exploit several strategies for moving across water, including those that involve the use of silk. This study sheds light on the remarkable adaptability of spider silk and its potential use in aquatic systems.


Gould, John, and Jose. W. Valdez. 2023. "Long-Jawed Spider Moves across Water with and without the Use of Silk" Arthropoda 1, no. 4: 415-419. https://doi.org/10.3390/arthropoda1040017