✦ LIBER ✦
Stick insects (Phasmida) as prey of spiders: size, palatability and defence mechanisms in feeding tests
✍ Scribed by Wolfgang Nentwig
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag
- Year
- 1990
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 346 KB
- Volume
- 82
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0029-8549
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The maximum body length of the phasmid Carausius morosus which the ctenid spider Cupiennius salei can overwhelm is 2-3x larger than the length of crickets. Eight phasmid species were offered to Cupiennius salei in feeding tests. Among them, Carausius morosus was raised on 4 different food plants. All species of prey items were accepted by the spider predator very readily (>80%). This indicates that phasmids are a highly palatable prey group for spiders. The possible importance of chemical defence and its obvious lack under laboratory conditions are discussed.