New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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The role of experience in the development of predatory behaviour in Phidippus regius, a jumping spider (Araneae, Salticidae) from Florida

G. B. EDWARDS

Florida State Collection of Arthropods
Division of Plant Industry
Gainesville, Florida 32614-7100, U.S.A.

ROBERT R. JACKSON

Department of Zoology
University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract  Inexperienced Phidippus regius spiderlings used significantly different techniques to capture larvae of a lepidopteran (Trichoplusia ni) and adult dipterans (Drosophila melanogaster). The predatory behaviours of P. regius spiderlings and adults were similar, indicating that the conditional predatory strategy is pre-programmed in this species (i.e. different responses to different prey do not depend on prior experience with those prey). Motility, shape, size, and presence versus absence of wings, all appear to be cues used by the spiderlings to evaluate prey type. The spiderlings' success at capturing prey improved rapidly over time. Experimental results suggest that this improvement depends mainly on effects of experience, but also partly on maturation. Also, spiderlings apparently learn to avoid ants. Tests with spiderlings that had only recently emerged from an eggsac indicated that for c. 3 days after emergence, spiderlings give priority to dispersal behaviour over predatory behaviour.

Keywords spiders; Salticidae; Phidippus regius; predation; learning

New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 1994, Vol. 21: 269-277

0301-4223/2103-0269 $2.50/0   (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (539K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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