Argiope bruennichi shows a drinking-like behaviour in web hub decorations (Araneae, Araneidae)

Abstract

As stationary predators, araneid spiders that lack protective retreats are especially vulnerable to abiotic influences. Species of the genus Argiope permanently remain at the hub of their orb webs and are thereby exposed to desiccating circumstances. Like other land arthropods, spiders must balance their hygric status. Beside desiccation avoidance behaviours, they can manage this balance by water gain through either liquefied prey items or direct ingestions of free water. Drinking-like behaviours are sparely documented for Araneids. We observed Argiope bruennichi ingesting accumulated water droplets from the silk-overstitched web hub, a part of the web decoration, and subsequently tested whether this behaviour is a regular feature of this species. In 50% of our observations, spiders that had been sprayed with water actively searched the hub decoration for water droplets and ingested them. The behavioural elements were very stereotypic among the tested individuals. Significantly, A. bruennichi females only searched the covered web hubs for water, even though the entire web was moistened. These data suggest that hub decorations of A. bruennichi might have an adaptive significance by helping to maintain a balance of water metabolism, adding yet another element to the spirited debate about the functional significance of web decorations.