Vertebrate-eating jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) revisited: consumption of geckos and bird hatchlings

Abstract

In this paper, vertebrate predation by jumping spiders (Salticidae) was revisited, taking into account incidents of this kind recently published in the scientific literature or on the internet. Our study revealed that vertebrate predation by salticids is more widespread than previously thought, geographically and taxonomically. Roughly ninety percent of all reported cases refer to predation on anurans (Hylidae and Ranixalidae) and lizards (Dactyloidae and Gekkonidae) by salticids from the subfamily Salticinae (Hyllus spp., Phidippus spp., and an unidentified species presumably related to Hasarius Simon, 1871). In the remaining cases, salticids from the subfamily Salticinae (Paraphidippus cf. aurantius (Lucas, 1833) and Phidippus audax (Hentz, 1845)) were observed attacking bird hatchlings (families Paridae and Trochilidae), weighing ≈4–6 times more than the spiders. In two instances, the spiders were observed biting the hatchlings, but only in one single case, a salticid was seen feeding on a hatchling.