Studies on habit and habitat, external morphology, feeding capacity and prey preference of two striped spider, Telamonia dimidiata

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate habit and habitat, external morphology, preying capacity and prey preference of two striped spider, Telamonia dimidiata collected from different places of Uttar Pradesh India. It is found on trees, shrubs and paddy plants. Like other jumping spiders of family salticidae, these do not build webs and are sophisticated and active hunters. Telamonia dimidiata— recognisable by its distinctive two stripes on its back. This spider constructed a different web each night for three consecutive nights. “It is a cursorial hunter and does not use the web for hunting. Instead, it uses it as a resting ground to revisit, depending on whether it was disturbed or not,” The female is light yellowish, with a very white cephalus and red rings surrounding the narrow black rings round the eyes where as male is very dark, with white markings, and red hairs around the eyes. Both the sexes feed actively on mosquitoes and moths and other insect pests acting as an efficient bio-control agent in gardens and crop fields.