A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders

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  A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders Abstract A new species of wolf spider, Zoica veloxilla sp. nov., from Sumatra (Indonesia) is described based on both sexes. Lysania pygmaea Thorell, 1890 is recorded from Sumatra for the first time, and its male is illustrated and redescribed. A distribution map for Zoica and Lysania is provided. The problem of miniaturization in wolf spiders is briefly discussed. Based on an analysis of the literature, 32 minute species of wolf spiders in four subfamilies and eleven genera have been reported. The smallest wolf spider known worldwide seems to be Zoica minuta (McKay, 1979) from Australia. Omelko, M.M. & Fomichev, A.A. (2026) A new species and a new record of Zoicinae Lehtinen & Hippa, 1979 (Araneae: Lycosidae) from Sumatra Island, with notes on miniaturization in wolf spiders. Zootaxa, 5869 (2), 339–350. https://doi.o...

Comparing Nutrient Intake by Wolf Spiders (Hogna carolinensis) Consuming Frogs (Acris blanchardi) and Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus)

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Comparing Nutrient Intake by Wolf Spiders (Hogna carolinensis) Consuming Frogs (Acris blanchardi) and Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus)

ABSTRACT

Herbivores and omnivores have been shown to regulate their intake of nutrients to a balance that maximizes fitness. Predators were traditionally believed to have less need for dietary regulation than herbivores, given the higher nutritional quality of animal tissue compared to plants. However, some predators, like spiders, may feed on diverse prey that could vary substantially in nutrient content and, hence, their potential quality as food items. This study compared the nutrient intake of Carolina wolf spiders (Hogna carolinensis ) when they fed on cricket frogs (Acris blanchardi) and crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus ). In diet trials, spiders were fasted prior to being offered a frog or cricket for consumption. Then, prey remains and nonconsumed (control) frog and cricket samples were analyzed for lipid, lean tissue, and elemental content. Results show that frogs and crickets vary substantially in the nutrients that they provide to spiders. Frogs offer less lipids but more lean tissue compared to crickets. Additionally, spiders consumed a greater mass of micronutrients when feeding on frogs compared to crickets. While some evidence suggests that lipids may be limited for some spider species, frogs may still be beneficial to spiders' diets because they offer an abundance of lean tissue. Future research should examine how environmental and physiological factors influence the nutritional quality of prey for predators.

Hunsucker, C. G., Herzog, C., Reeves, J. T., Wilder, S. M., & McMurry, S. T. (2025). Comparing Nutrient Intake by Wolf Spiders (Hogna carolinensis) Consuming Frogs (Acris blanchardi) and Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus). Ecology and Evolution, 15(3), e71045. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71045 or https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.71045