Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- How this book came about
- 1 Introduction: spider biology
- 2 Flexibility in the foraging strategies of spiders
- 3 Spider webs: evolution, diversity and plasticity
- 4 Flexible use of anti-predator defences
- 5 Communication
- 6 Deceptive signals in spiders
- 7 Mating behaviour and sexual selection
- 8 Group living in spiders: cooperative breeding and coloniality
- 9 Plasticity, learning and cognition
- 10 Kleptoparasitic spiders of the subfamily Argyrodinae: a special case of behavioural plasticity
- Index
- Plate section
- References
10 - Kleptoparasitic spiders of the subfamily Argyrodinae: a special case of behavioural plasticity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- How this book came about
- 1 Introduction: spider biology
- 2 Flexibility in the foraging strategies of spiders
- 3 Spider webs: evolution, diversity and plasticity
- 4 Flexible use of anti-predator defences
- 5 Communication
- 6 Deceptive signals in spiders
- 7 Mating behaviour and sexual selection
- 8 Group living in spiders: cooperative breeding and coloniality
- 9 Plasticity, learning and cognition
- 10 Kleptoparasitic spiders of the subfamily Argyrodinae: a special case of behavioural plasticity
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Throughout this book we have seen numerous examples of the flexible nature of spider behaviour. This includes flexibility in silk and web production and design; foraging, anti-predatory and deceptive behaviour; and sociality and courtship behaviour. We have also seen how behavioural plasticity and learning enhances the flexibility of these different behaviours. In this chapter we will look at a subfamily of spiders, Argyrodinae (Theridiidae), to see how all these forms of flexibility contribute to the success of this group. Argyrodinae are by no means the most successful group of spiders, nor are they likely to be the most intelligent (if it were possible to measure such a thing in spiders, that award would undoubtedly go to individuals in the Portia genus) but they are an interesting group of spiders that illustrate many of the concepts discussed in the book, and they also show some unusual takes on common themes.
Introduction
The subfamily Argyrodinae, which contains over 200 species, is well known for its association with the webs of other spiders, and the range of foraging techniques this group uses to exploit other spiders. For example, there are species that glean insects off the edge of the web (e.g. Hénaut, 2000, Kullmann, 1959), eat the silk from the web (e.g. Cangialosi, 1991, Grostal and Walter, 1997, Kerr and Quenga, 2004, Miyashita et al., 2004), steal food bundles caught and wrapped by the host spider (e.g. Hénaut et al., 2007, Vollrath, 1984, Whitehouse, 1997a), attack the host while it is moulting (Cangialosi, 1990, Tanaka, 1984, Whitehouse, 1986) and actively prey on the host or its young (Eberhard, 1979, Larcher and Wise, 1985, Smith Trail, 1980) by either by throwing a sticky thread (Eberhard, 1979, Whitehouse, 1987a) or by lunging at them (Whitehouse, 1986).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Spider BehaviourFlexibility and Versatility, pp. 348 - 386Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
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