Behavioural responses and feeding preference of Aellurilus Logunovi Azarkina, 2004 (Araneae: Salticidae) to prey in a controlled environment

Abstract

Forty adults of Aellurilus logunovi Azarkina, 2004 were randomly collected from scrub hills edges of district Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and observed in a controlled environment at Zoology Lab, Women University Swabi. The study aimed to describe predatory behaviour, i.e., foraging modes, how they establish predatory responses to prey and the abiotic factors that influence their hunting in a controlled environment. It is firstly reported that Aellurilus logunovi Azarkina, 2004 is a generalist predator and has a mix of feeding modes of insectivores and araneophagic or cannibalism with, utilizing their prey by either squeezing or partially engulfing. As the handling time increases with an increased body mass of prey and decreases with an increased mass of predators and reduces the mass of prey. It is also first reported that the activity of Aellurilus logunovi is highly affected by ambient temperature and light, i.e., their activity increased with an increase in temperature and light and mainly was more active below 40°C.