Prey, predatory behaviour, and anti‐predator defences of Hygropoda dolomedes and Dendrolycosa sp. (Araneae: Pisauridae), web‐building pisaurid spiders from Australia and Sri Lanka

Abstract

Pisaurids are most often described as hunting spiders, but Hygropoda dolomedes and Dendrolycosa sp. are tropical pisaurids that build sheet webs on the tops of large waxy leaves. Prey records from the field show that dipterans dominate the diets of these species (60% of 85 records for H. dolomedes and 55% of 80 records for Dendrolycosa sp.). Mosquitoes are taken especially often (32% of the records for H. dolomedes and 25% of the records for Dendrolycosa sp.). Prey‐capture behaviour, feeding, and anti‐predator defence are described. Methods are developed for inducing spiders to build webs on leaves and artificial leaves in the laboratory.