Can solitary spiders (Araneae) cooperate in prey capture?

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Authors

PEKÁR Stanislav HRUŠKOVÁ Martina LUBIN Yael

Year of publication 2005
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Journal of Animal Ecology
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Science

Citation
Field Zoology
Keywords myrmecophagy; social; group hunting; kleptobiosis; evolution
Description Cooperation in prey capture has never been reported for a solitary spider. Here, we conducted a laboratory experiment to determine if group hunting occurs in the ant-eating Zodarion spiders and if it yields higher individual benefit than solitary prey capture. Spiderlings of the second instar were kept in groups of 1, 3 and 6 individuals. Their foraging behaviour was studied with two ant species as prey: a large Messor and a small Tapinoma. Groups of 3 and 6 spiders had better capture success than a single individual. The paralysis time of Messor was reduced as the number of spiders in a group increased while that of Tapinoma ants was similar for all group sizes. The feeding time on Messor increased with the number of spiders in a group, even all 6 individuals could feed simultaneously.
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