The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae)

  The neonicotinoid imidacloprid impairs the predatory performance and functional response of the jumping spider Helpis minitabunda (Araneae, Salticidae) Abstract The neonicotinoid imidacloprid can cause lethal and sublethal effects in non-target organisms, including impaired behavior, reduced fertility, disrupted locomotion, and reduced predatory performance in arthropods. Spiders are among the most abundant arthropod predators in terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, yet the effects of neonicotinoids on the predatory function of jumping spiders remain poorly understood. The functional response of a predator describes how predation rates change with prey density and is key to understanding predator–prey dynamics. We tested whether acute exposure to a commercial formulation of imidacloprid at field-recommended concentrations alters the functional response of the Aussie bronze jumping spider, Helpis minitabunda (L. Koch, 1880). We compared the predation of treat...

Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae)

 


Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract
An egg sac of the non-native spider Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Araneidae) found on the leaf of an imported shrub Heptapleurum arboricola Hayata (Araliaceae) from Costa Rica is described and illustrated following its interception in the United Kingdom.

Deady, Rob & Sherwood, Danniella. (2025). Interception of the egg sac of the Spiny-backed Orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the United Kingdom on produce from Costa Rica (Araneae: Araneidae). Natura Somogyiensis. 46. 21-24. 10.24394/NatSom.2025.46.21. https://doi.org/10.24394/NatSom.2025.46.21