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 ...

Eco-Evolutionary Drivers of Body Size Variation in Arthropods, With a Focus on Spiders

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Eco-Evolutionary Drivers of Body Size Variation in Arthropods, With a Focus on Spiders

ABSTRACT

Aim

Body size has been used thoroughly in arthropod ecology as a reliable trait to assess fitness responses to changes in environmental factors. We aim to assess general patterns of intraspecific body size variation along macroecological gradients in arthropods. We more specifically discuss these patterns in spiders, as they represent a large and diverse group, colonising most terrestrial habitats.

Location: Global.

Time Period: 1982–2024.

Major Taxa Studied: Arthropods.

Methods

We propose a systematic review and a meta-analysis of 146 studies on intraspecific body size variation in arthropods over two main macroecological spatial gradients—latitude and elevation—both of high interest in a global warming context.

Results

We found that more species with direct than with indirect development present a converse Bergmann cline along both gradients.

Main Conclusions

We propose that life history traits such as voltinism, mobility and brood care influence intraspecific body size patterns—potentially hiding large-scale patterns. This review gathers empirical data about body size variation along elevational and latitudinal gradients in arthropods, providing a step forward to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving body size variation.

Ameline, C., D. Lafage, M. Hedde, P. Vernon, and J. Pétillon. 2026. “ Eco-Evolutionary Drivers of Body Size Variation in Arthropods, With a Focus on Spiders.” Journal of Biogeography 53, no. 2: e70158. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.70158.