Seasonal Variation in Whole-Body Elemental Concentrations and Excreta Production of a Riparian Orb-Weaving Spider (Larinioides cornutus)

Posted by
  Seasonal Variation in Whole-Body Elemental Concentrations and Excreta Production of a Riparian Orb-Weaving Spider (Larinioides cornutus) ABSTRACT Predators influence nutrient cycling by assimilating elements from their prey and returning nutrients to ecosystems via excretion and discarded prey remains. However, seasonal variation in the contribution of predators to nutrient cycling remains poorly understood, particularly for terrestrial arthropod predators such as spiders. We examined temporal variation in whole-body elemental concentrations, excreta C and N concentrations, and cumulative excreta output in a riparian orb-weaving spider ( Larinioides cornutus ) across the growing season of 2024. Adult females were collected across seven sampling periods spanning mid-June to early October, and whole-body concentrations of macronutrients (carbon [C], nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P]) and multiple trace elements were quantified. Whole-body N and P concentrations, and several trace elemen...

First records of Hippasosa ghost (Jocque & Jocqué, 2017) (Araneae, Lycosidae) outside of the type locality in northwestern Madagascar

Posted by

 


First records of Hippasosa ghost (Jocque & Jocqué, 2017) (Araneae, Lycosidae) outside of the type locality in northwestern Madagascar

Abstract

The Malagasy endemic wolf spider Hippasosa ghost (Jocque & Jocqué, 2017), previously known from a single small patch of sandy habitat adjacent to a permanent lake in the Mariarano Classified Forest in northwestern Madagascar, is recorded from two additional localities with similar habitat along the Mariarano River, 10 km and 45 km from the type locality. These finds indicate the possibility that this highly specialized species could have a larger distribution than originally thought, but also they show the importance of protecting such vulnerable habitats.

Pett BL, Escobar-Toledo J, de Beer L, Murray KI, Rakotorahalahy M, Siméon F, Rivoson JL (2025) First records of Hippasosa ghost (Jocque & Jocqué, 2017) (Araneae, Lycosidae) outside of the type locality in northwestern Madagascar. Check List 21(6): 1257-1261. https://doi.org/10.15560/21.6.1257