Predation on amphibians by spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in the Neotropical region

Abstract

Predation on amphibians by spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) in the Neotropical region. Herein, we report observations about spider predation on anurans (adults and juveniles) in Central Amazonia and a literature review of spiders preying on amphibians in the Neotropical zoogeographic realm. We conducted field observations in Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, Manaus, AM, and observed eight predation events on Bufonidae, Dendrobatidae, Hylidae, and Leptodactylidae frogs. The predators belong to the spider families Ctenidae, Pisauridae and Theraphosidae. Besides the families of spiders found in this study, two others-Lycosidae and Sparissidae-were found in literature. Frogs from families Centrolenidae and Microhylidae, and a caecilian (Gymnophiona, Caeciliidae) were found in literature also. There is a significant correlation between the length of the anuran (snout-vent length) and the length of spiders (cephalotorax and abdomen length). The size of the spider is similar or slightly lesser than the anuran prey. In general, the spiders preyed on adult and juvenile frogs in the breeding season. Spiders are opportunistic predators and prey on small frogs. Theraphosidae prey upon sub adults of large anurans and caecilians. As spiders can reach high densities on the forest floor-especially species of the genera Ctenus and Ancylometes-this interaction may be ecologically important for breeding anurans. Our reports and literature data provide evidence that spiders commonly prey on amphibians in Neotropic, but the impact of predation on populations of amphibians is unknown.

Nicho ecológico e aspectos da história natural de Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura: Hylidae, Phyllomedusinae) no Cerrado do Brasil Central

“…Em estudo realizado com Phyllomedusa tarsius, P. tomopterna e P. bicolor, foi verificado que os principais predadores de ovos dessas espécies são besouros, moscas e mamíferos (Neckel-Oliveira & Wachlevski 2004). Já nos ambientes aquáticos peixes, larvas de libélulas, aranhas e baratas d'água podem representar predadores dos girinos e as vezes de adultos dos anfíbios (Hero et al 2001, Toledo 2003, Menin et al 2005, Sawaya et al 2008. Além de substratos para a postura de ovos, arbustos e árvores foram utilizados por Phyllomedusa azurea como sítios de vocalização semelhante ao observado para esta espécie por Rodrigues et al (2007) na Serra da Bodoquena, MS, por Borges & Juliano (2007) em Morrinhos, GO e por Rocha (2005) em Alexânia, GO.…”

Predation of bat (Molossus molossus: Molossidae) by the centipede Scolopendra viridicornis (Scolopendridae) in Southern Amazonia

“…Invertebrates are an important component of the food web, serving as prey for many vertebrate groups (McCormick and Polis 1982;Johnson and Triplehorn 2004;Menin et al 2005). However, arthropods also produce substantial mortality in some vertebrate populations (McCormick and Polis 1982), and have shown to maintain complex interspecific interactions with vertebrates (Menin et al 2005).…”

“…However, arthropods also produce substantial mortality in some vertebrate populations (McCormick and Polis 1982), and have shown to maintain complex interspecific interactions with vertebrates (Menin et al 2005). There are few records of invertebrate predation of vertebrates (Timm and Losilla 2007;Srbek-Araujo et al 2012), but large species of arachnids, insects and chilopods are voracious predators, and recorded diets include small vertebrates such as frogs, lizards and bats (McCormick and Polis 1982;Toledo 2005;Timm and Losilla 2007).…”

New observations of frog and lizard predation by wandering and orb-weaver spiders in Costa Rica

“…Observations of wandering spiders in Costa Rica suggest that the spiders indiscriminately consume anurans and lizards across most taxonomic groups (Table 1); however, poisonous frogs (Dendrobatidae) are rejected upon attack (Szelistowski 1985, Murray 2016. Despite the growing body of records of herpetofaunal predation by ctenids in Costa Rica and elsewhere in the Neotropics (Menin 2005, Maffei 2010, the predatory and/or poorly described. This led us to record observations of anuran and lizard predation by spiders while studying these taxa at localities in Caribbean forests of Costa Rica between 2008 and 2014 Tschapka 2013, Folt 2017).…”