The Prey of the Lynx Spider Oxyopes Globifer (Araneae, Oxyopidae) Associated With a Semidesert Dwarf Shrub in Azerbaijan

Abstract

The prey of the lynx spider, Oxyopes globifer Simon 1876, occurring on Salsola nodulosa (Moq.) plants, was analyzed. In common with other cursorial spiders, the percentage of feeding specimens in the population of O. globifer was low (5.5%). Males were observed feeding significantly less frequently than females and immatures of both sexes. After oviposition, however, the records of prey capture in eggguarding females also declined considerably. Oxyopes globifer is a polyphagous predator feeding on a wide range of arthropods: insects of the orders Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Homoptera, as well as on several spider species. The primary food was worker ants, which accounted for 62.7% of total prey. No other prey taxon was present in any considerable percentage. O. globifer captured prey ranging between 22.7 and 243.8% (mean 88.8%) of its own body length. Most frequently taken were mediumsized arthropods varying from 50-110% of spiders' body lengths.

Natural prey of the lynx spider <i>Oxyopes lineatus</i> (Araneae: Oxyopidae)

“…Most of the prey of O. lineatus (87.5%) were smaller than the spiders, while those larger than their captors usually did not exceed 150% of the spider's length. The mean value and range of relative length of prey of O. lineatus were comparable to those recorded in other lynx spiders (Nyffeler et al 1987a, b, 1992, Huseynov 2006).…”

“…The present study which revealed a high level of worker ant predation by O. lineatus (ca. 20% of the total diet) supports the hypothesis that myrmecophagy is a common phenomenon within the genus Oxyopes and probably the whole family Oxyopidae (Huseynov 2006). However, unlike other myrmecophagic cursorial spiders from the families Salticidae, Gnaphosidae, Thomisidae, and Zodariidae, which have evolved a highly specialized predatory behaviour against worker ants (Soyer 1953, Heller 1976, Oliveira & Sazima 1984, 1985, Li & Jackson 1996, Pekar 2004, almost nothing is known about the adaptations that allow lynx spiders to subdue this well-defended prey, except for speculation by Baehr & Baehr (1987) about the role of leg spines in protection of O. ramosus against ants.…”

“…The percentage of O. lineatus individuals found with prey in their chelicerae was low (< 5%), as is usual with cursorial spiders (Nentwig 1986, Nyffeler & Breene 1990 and lynx spiders in particular (Nyffeler et al 1987a, b, 1992, Huseynov 2006. It is worth noting that O. lineatus was observed feeding at night, though less frequently than during daylight hours (but the difference was not statistically significant).…”

“…Worker ants, possessing effective defensive equipment, are not palatable to most cursorial spiders (Nentwig 1986), but spiders of the genus Oxyopes seem to be an exception. Worker ants were found among the prey of all Oxyopes species, where data on natural prey is available: O. salticus (Nyffeler et al 1987a), O. globifer (Huseynov 2006), O. apollo (Agnew & Smith 1989), O. scalaris (McIver 1989), O. ramosus (Baehr & Baehr 1987), O. licenti and O. sertatus (Furuta 1977).…”

“…The species best studied in this respect is the striped lynx spider, Oxyopes salticus Hentz, 1845 from North America (Lockley & Young 1987, Nyffeler et al 1987a, 1992, Agnew & Smith 1989, Bardwell & Averill 1997. Less extensive quantitative data are available on the natural prey of Oxyopes globifer Simon, 1876 from Azerbaijan (Huseynov 2006), O. apollo Brady, 1964 from USA (Agnew & Smith 1989), O. licenti Schenkel, 1953 and O. sertatus L. Koch, 1877 from Japan (Furuta 1977). Likewise, there are qualitative accounts on the food of the North American gray lynx spider, O. scalaris Hentz, 1845, in the field and laboratory (Cutler et al 1977, Carroll 1980.…”