Presentation Details
| Maternal Care and Development in Jumping Spider, Phidippus regius Roxie Baggott, Trinity Walls, Nuala Griffen, Marwa Nauman, Damian O.Elias. UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA |
Abstract
Spiders exhibit diversity in maternal care in both level of involvement and the form that the care takes. For jumping spiders (Salticidae), behavior ranges from egg sac guarding to feeding offspring. In this study, we explored maternal care in Phidippus regius, or the Regal Jumping Spider, a species distinct for their online popularity and large size. To investigate their maternal care, we collected specimens from a field site in Florida. Pregnant females were placed into one of two treatments: (1) females were removed from their egg sac 1-3 days after laying it, and (2) females were left with their egg sac until spiderlings hatched and dispersed. We recorded the amount of time that it took for the spiderlings to hatch and disperse. In the first treatment, 23% of spiderlings hatched and none emerged from any egg sacs. In the second treatment, 63% of egg sacs hatched, and 100% of hatched spiderlings emerged from the egg sac. This research demonstrates that females remaining with their egg sac is necessary for successful emergence. This work has important implications for animal husbandry and revealed an unsung facet of jumping spider natural history.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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