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List of spider species used in the prey capture experiment, the number of specimens used, and their origin
Source publication
The evolutionary history of prey specialisation differs among spider species, particularly among active wandering species which have evolved a variety of prey-capture tactics. Here, we conducted a comparative analysis of prey specialisation and prey capture behaviour in Gnaphosidae. We used nine species each representing a different genus and inves...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... collected nine species of gnaphosid and closely related spiders at different sites across the globe (Table 1). Specimens at different ontogenetic stages (except for adult males) were collected by hand either under stones or under bark. ...Context 2
... it is lacking some genera that we used in our study, we aimed to reconstruct an updated phylogenetic relationship hypothesis of gnaphosid spiders combining molecular and morphological data. For this purpose, we used 20 gnaphosid species and five non-gnaphosid representatives from closely related families ( Azevedo et al. 2018) which Table S1). Two species (Drassodex simoni, Pterotricha sp.) were barcoded de novo during this study (see below) and for one species (Galianoella leucostigma, Gallieniellidae), sequences were not available, therefore, we used sequences of a different species (Gallieniella betroka) of this family. ...Similar publications
The contraction behavior of spider dragline silk upon water exposure has drawn particular interest in developing humidity-responsive smart materials. We report herein that the spider dragline silk yarns with moderate twists can generate much improved lengthwise contraction of 60% or an isometric stress of 11 MPa when wetted by water. Upon the remov...
Citations
... Trichothyse is a rather poorly diagnosed gnaphosid genus and has gained little taxonomic attention except for mere redescriptions of T. africana and T. hortensis (Murphy 2007;Ott et al. 2012;Lissner & Chatzaki 2016;World Spider Catalog 2024). With the exception of T. hortensis, whose predatory behaviour was recently studied (Baydizada et al. 2020), no further information regarding the biology of the genus is currently known. ...
The genus Trichothyse Tucker, 1923 is presently represented by four southern African species, T. africana (Tucker, 1923), T. hortensis Tucker, 1923 and T. subtropica Lawrence, 1927, known only from their females, and T. fontensis Lawrence, 1928, known only from the male. In this paper, the genus is reviewed and the latter three species are redescribed. The previously unknown female of T. fontensis is described for the first time. The female of Xerophaeus zuluensis Lawrence, 1938 is redescribed, its previously unknown male is described for the first time, and the species is hereby transferred to Trichothyse as T. zuluensis (Lawrence, 1938) comb. nov. A new species known from both sexes, T. karoo Haddad & Sankaran sp. nov., is described from South Africa, and the hitherto unknown male of T. jodhpurensis (Gajbe, 1993) comb. nov. is described for the first time, together with a redescription of its female. Eleven species and one subspecies are transferred from Poecilochroa Westring, 1874 sensu lato to Trichothyse, two of which are of African distribution [T. antineae (Fage, 1929) comb. nov. and T. pugnax (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) comb. nov.], nine that are distributed in the Palaearctic Region [T. furcata (Simon, 1914) comb. nov., T. golan (Levy, 1999) comb. nov., T. hamipalpis (Kroneberg, 1875) comb. nov., T. ilkerakkusi (Coşar, Danişman & Marusik, 2024) comb. nov., T. jodhpurensis comb. nov., T. loricata (Kritscher, 1996) comb. nov., T. perversa (Simon, 1914) comb. nov., T. poonaensis (Tikader, 1982) comb. nov. and T. senilis auspex (Simon, 1878) comb. nov.], and one that has an extended distribution in both the Palaearctic Region and Africa [T. senilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) comb. nov.].
... Spider-and ant-eating habits evolved independently multiple times during spider evolution (Pekár et al. 2012). An ancestral origin for spider-eating was confirmed in the theridiid subfamily Argyrodinae (Su and Smith 2014) and in Gnaphosidae (Baydizada et al. 2020). The ant-eating habit was found to be derived in Corinnidae (Pekár et al. 2012), but in Zodariidae it was found to be ancestral for the whole family (Pekár et al. 2013). ...
... Alike theridiids supposedly developed an ant-eating habit with the origin of the gum-foot web in the basal taxa, while more derived species secondarily lost the ability to produce sticky webs and became euryphagous (Liu et al. 2016). Similarly, ant-eating in Gnaphosidae appears to be ancestral but has been repeatedly lost (Baydizada et al. 2020). ...
... Estimation of the ancestral states of trophic habits revealed the expected pattern. Spider-eating appears to be uniformly distributed within the family and the analysis predicted its highly ancestral state, which is in congruence with studies on other spider families, namely Araneidae, Corinnidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiidae, Salticidae, Zodariidae (Pekár et al. 2012), and Gnaphosidae (Baydizada et al. 2020). The absence of spidereating in ancestors of the 'Epidius' clade, the 'Stephanopis' clade, and Aphantochilinae is probably due to specialized myrmecophagy in these genera. ...
Spiders and ants are infrequent types of prey in the diet of spiders. Both spider- and ant-eating were found in thomisid (crab) spiders but their origin remains unclear. Our goal was to gather data on spider- and ant-eating habits in thomisid spiders, construct a family-level phylogeny, and estimate when these habits evolved. Using prey acceptance experiments, we found 21 spider- and 18 ant-eating genera; based on photographic evidence there were 14 spider- and 20 ant-eating genera; and based on literature there were six spider- and seven ant-eating genera. Altogether we found evidence for 28 spider- and 30 ant-eating genera. We performed the most extensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of Thomisidae to date, using representatives of 75 nominal genera. The resulting topology was congruent with previous studies: Thomisidae were shown to be monophyletic; the genus Borboropactus was identified as a sister group to the remaining thomisids; the current subfamilies emerged as para- or polyphyletic, and Aphantochilinae was monophyletic and rendered Strophiinae paraphyletic within the ‘Thomisus clade’. Ancestral state reconstruction estimated both spider- and ant-eating as ancestral states, suggesting that common ancestors of Thomisidae were euryphagous predators that included spiders but also ants in their diet.
... To immobilize prey, ground spiders use one of two distinct attack strategies: they either apply silk from spinnerets followed by biting or use venom via biting (Wolff et al. 2017). The use of these strategies is often fixed in certain genera; for example, ant-eating Callilepis used only venom attack (Michalek et al. 2019;Beydizada et al. 2020). Other genera, such as Drassodes show behavioral plasticity and conditionally use both attack strategies . ...
... So, silk attack seems to be a safer strategy than venom attack (Gilbert andRayor 1985;Pekár and Toft 2015), especially when the prey is dangerous. This is supported by a recent study that showed that ground spiders use venom attack to immobilize prey which is small but shift to silk attack when the prey is large (Beydizada et al. 2020). However, the use of venom attack could not be predicted solely by prey size, suggesting important roles for other factors-for example, the amount of available venom or the personality of the spider. ...
... The relative effects of these factors also interact to affect morphology. A previous study showed that representatives of several gnaphosid genera, including Drassodes, share the same morphological characters (spinneret size, number of spigots, fang size) which are used in predatory behaviors (Beydizada et al. 2020). On the basis of this, we assumed that there could be a similar association between morphology (the size of venom gland) and personality. ...
Personality traits, such as boldness and/or aggressiveness, have long been accepted to have a profound influence on many aspects of the lives of animals, including foraging. However, little is known about how personality traits shape the use of a particular attack strategy. Ground spiders use either venom or silk attack to immobilize prey. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that behavioral differences among individuals (namely boldness, measured as the time spent exploring a novel environment; and aggressiveness, measured as the number of killed but not consumed prey) drive the use of a particular attack strategy. We used a generalist ground spider, Drassodes lapidosus, and recorded the mode of attack on two types of prey, dangerous and safe. Moreover, we measured the size of the venom gland to test the relationship between the size of venom volume and the personality, as well as the mode of attack. Drassodes individuals showed consistent behavioral differences in the way they attacked prey. Venom attack was significantly related to increased aggressiveness when attacking spider (dangerous) prey and to increased boldness when attacking cricket (safe) prey. Silk attack was more frequently used by shy (for cricket prey) and docile (for spider prey). The volume of venom was not related to the attack strategy. We conclude that personality traits are important drivers of prey-capture behavior in generalist ground spiders.
... Frequent silk use in such generalist species has led to the modification of the spinning apparatus, that is, anterior lateral spinnerets (ALS) produce sticky silk from the piriform gland (PI) during prey capture. Our recent comparative analysis of a number of gnaphosid genera showed that most genera used silk attack to immobilize particularly large prey, while a few genera used venom attack (Beydizada et al., 2020). Ancestral state reconstruction revealed that the use of silk for prey immobilization was as probable as venom attack for ancestors (Beydizada et al., 2020). ...
... Our recent comparative analysis of a number of gnaphosid genera showed that most genera used silk attack to immobilize particularly large prey, while a few genera used venom attack (Beydizada et al., 2020). Ancestral state reconstruction revealed that the use of silk for prey immobilization was as probable as venom attack for ancestors (Beydizada et al., 2020). It seems that the production of both silk and venom is costly, so there should be a trade-off in using them, albeit in differing proportions. ...
... Our aim here was to investigate how fixed the use of a capture strategy is in generalist ground spider predators of the family Gnaphosidae. We selected two genera, Drassodes and Zelotes, known to use different attack strategies with different frequencies (Beydizada et al., 2020). We performed a manipulative experiment in which the use of one strategy was disabled. ...
Generalist predators have evolved a variety of behavioural adaptations in prey capture to effectively subdue different prey types. Such predators use a conditional hunting strategy. Among spiders, representatives of Gnaphosidae are known to use either venom attack (subduing prey with venom) or silk attack (subduing prey with silk). In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis of the conditional use of prey capture strategy (venom versus silk attack) in two species, Drassodes sp. and Zelotes sp. We also measured the size of their venom glands and the number of their piriform glands in order to reveal whether behavioural adaptations are paralleled with morphological ones. As prey, we used other spiders of variable sizes as these are considered dangerous prey. We found that Drassodes used mainly silk attack, while the majority of Zelotes used venom attack. The probability of using silk attack increased with predator/prey body length ratio in Drassodes, but not in Zelotes. Then, we disabled silk use in individuals of both species. All disabled Drassodes used venom attack, but about half of individuals attempted to use silk attack first. All Zelotes used venom attack, and none attempted to use silk attack first. We found significantly larger venom glands in Drassodes than in Zelotes, while the number of piriform silk glands was similar. The behavioural adaptations are, thus, not paralleled with morphological (i.e., venom and silk gland size) ones. Our results suggest that both Drassodes and Zelotes can use both attack strategies with similar efficacy. Generalist ground spider predators use either venom or silk attack to immobilize their prey. We show that after disabling spinnerets, the spiders switched to the venom attack. We found that venom or silk attack is not paralleled with size of venom and silk glands. Photos: R. Macek.
... 9C,D). This is a special adaption towards the directed use of piriform silk in prey capture (Fig. 9G), which is a unique feature of Gnaphosoidea (Wolff et al. 2017a;Baydizada et al. 2020). ...
Synopsis
Spider web anchors are attachment structures composed of the bi-phasic glue-fiber secretion from the piriform silk glands. The mechanical performance of the anchors strongly correlates with the structural assembly of the silk lines, which makes spider silk anchors an ideal system to study the biomechanical function of extended phenotypes and its evolution. It was proposed that silk anchor function guided the evolution of spider web architectures, but its fine-structural variation and whether its evolution was rather determined by changes of the shape of the spinneret tip or in the innate spinning choreography remained unresolved. Here, we comparatively studied the micro-structure of silk anchors across the spider tree of life, and set it in relation to spinneret morphology, spinning behavior and the ecology of the spider. We identified a number of apomorphies in the structure of silk anchors that may positively affect anchor function: (1) bundled dragline, (2) dragline envelope, and (3) dragline suspension (“bridge”). All these characters were apomorphic and evolved repeatedly in multiple lineages, supporting the notion that they are adaptive. The occurrence of these structural features can be explained with changes in the shape and mobility of the spinneret tip, the spinning behavior, or both. Spinneret shapes generally varied less than their fine-tuned movements, indicating that changes in construction behavior play a more important role in the evolution of silk anchor assembly. However, the morphology of the spinning apparatus is also a major constraint to the evolution of the spinning choreography. These results highlight the changes in behavior as the proximate and in morphology as the ultimate causes of extended phenotype evolution. Further, this research provides a roadmap for future bioprospecting research to design high-performance instant line anchors.
... Gnaphosid spiders have a wide trophic niche. However, some species have a more specialized diet, hunting large and potentially dangerous prey, including ants and other spiders (Baydizada et al. 2020). The presence of this species in other vineyards of the region is unknown, since no study has addressed spiders of the area. ...
Maintaining biodiversity in agricultural
systems is essential, as it plays a key role in ecosystem
services provision. However, it is declining at an
unprecedented rate. Several methods can contribute to
increasing species diversity in agroecosystems,
including the use of artificial microhabitats. Studies
focusing on biodiversity in vineyards have been
carried out recently, mainly in Europe and North
America, but are scarce in South America. In this
study, we investigate whether introduced environmental
variability and habitat complexity, using corrugated
cardboard bands, enhances spider abundance
and diversity in vineyards. Spiders were collected
from grapevine plants, using two collecting methods
(foliage beating and direct collection). Plants with and
without cardboard bands (N = 30) were sampled in
three different phenological stages of the vineyard
(veraison, maturity and postharvest). Overall, we
collected 904 spiders belonging to 35 species. We
found that spider abundance and species richness
significantly increased with cardboard bands. In
addition, we identified particular species that prefer
cardboard bands to build their shelters. Results suggest
that cost-effective habitat manipulation can increase
spider abundance in vineyards, which implies higher
biodiversity conservation value and potential for
improving biological control.
... Gnaphosid spiders have a wide trophic niche. However, some species have a more specialized diet, hunting large and potentially dangerous prey, including ants and other spiders (Baydizada et al. 2020). The presence of this species in other vineyards of the region is unknown, since no study has addressed spiders of the area. ...
Maintaining biodiversity in agricultural systems is essential, as it plays a key role in ecosystem services provision. However, it is declining at an unprecedented rate. Several methods can contribute to increasing species diversity in agroecosystems, including the use of artificial microhabitats. Studies focusing on biodiversity in vineyards have been carried out recently, mainly in Europe and North America, but are scarce in South America. In this study, we investigate whether introduced environmental variability and habitat complexity, using corrugated cardboard bands, enhances spider abundance and diversity in vineyards. Spiders were collected from grapevine plants, using two collecting methods (foliage beating and direct collection). Plants with and without cardboard bands (N = 30) were sampled in three different phenological stages of the vineyard (veraison, maturity and postharvest). Overall, we collected 904 spiders belonging to 35 species. We found that spider abundance and species richness significantly increased with cardboard bands. In addition, we identified particular species that prefer cardboard bands to build their shelters. Results suggest that cost-effective habitat manipulation can increase spider abundance in vineyards, which implies higher biodiversity conservation value and potential for improving biological control.
A community's biological diversity reflects coexistence between species. This often depends, to some extent, on whether there is competition for resources and how it is dealt with.
The nature of old‐growth tree hollows is confined and relatively isolated, which makes them ideal for investigating the competition phenomena between their inhabitants, such as Araneae.
The existence of interspecific competition in the structuring of tree hollow spider assemblages in Mediterranean forests was inferred by spatial co‐occurrence pattern analyses with null models at both the community and pairwise levels. The analysis included 36 spider species collected monthly with emergence traps for 1 year. The distribution of four ecological traits, body size and phenology on the resulting pattern type was discussed.
The analyses showed spatial segregation at the community level and spatial aggregations between species with different traits predominated at the pairwise level. Hunting strategy and body size were the main differential traits to facilitate these aggregations. In addition, only the aggregations led by Amaurobius scopolii–Scotophaeus scutulatus and Eratigena atrica–Liocranum majus also showed an overlap during their main activity period.
Community segregation and spatio‐temporal aggregations of species with differential traits suggest that interspecific competition is a very likely structuring factor of tree hollow spider assemblages. Instead, segregations at the pairwise level seem to result from other factors, for example, habitat preferences.
