A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species

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  A comparison of adhesive performance among six cursorial spider species Abstract The ability to adhere to surfaces is particularly relevant for cursorial predatory arthropods like hunting spiders, which often traverse relatively complex environments characterized by large variation in substrate properties. Here, we evaluated the adhesive performance of six hunting spider species that are common in eastern temperate North America and lack specialized tarsi for climbing smooth or inclined surfaces [Lycosidae: Pardosa lapidicina Emerton, 1885 and Rabidosa rabida (Walckenaer, 1837); Oxyopidae: Oxyopes salticus Hentz, 1845; Pisauridae: Pisaurina mira (Walckenaer, 1837); Dolomedidae: Dolomedes triton (Walckenaer, 1837), and Dolomedes scriptus Hentz, 1845]. We tested adhesion performance as shear load resistance (g) on a glass plate, and as the angle of failure (°) when the plate was gradually inclined relative to horizontal. Average angle of failure and shear resistance differed among ...

Cyclosa Menge, 1866 (Araneidae) Orb-Weavers Build Stabilimenta That Resemble Larger Spiders

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Cyclosa Menge, 1866 (Araneidae) Orb-Weavers Build Stabilimenta That Resemble Larger Spiders

ABSTRACT

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Orb-weaving spiders are known to create stabilimenta—silk situated at particular locations of the web. While anecdotal reports and popular media have long suggested that some spiders arrange debris in their webs to resemble a larger spider, this behavior has not been formally documented in the scientific literature. Here, we provide the first scientific record of this unique behavior in two orb-weaving spiders (Cyclosa spp., Araneidae) from the tropical forests of Peru and the Philippines. We report that these spiders construct stabilimenta composed of detritus and silk, arranging the debris in the web into a shape that visually resembles the silhouette of a larger spider. This structure may serve as a “decoy” that serves an anti-predator function of misdirecting or repelling the attacks of some predators. Video abstract: https://youtu.be/GDySHFRXbCE.


Olah, G., Torres, P. J., Pomerantz, A. F., Kirby, R., Baxter, S., Grados, J., & Reeves, L. E. (2025). Cyclosa Menge, 1866 (Araneidae) Orb-Weavers Build Stabilimenta That Resemble Larger Spiders. Ecology and Evolution, 15(11), e72371. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72371