Arthropods as vertebrate predators: A review of global patterns

Abstract

Aim Arthropods as vertebrate predators is a generally overlooked aspect in ecology due to the cryptic nature of these events, the relatively small size of arthropods and the difficulty in finding published data. This study represents the largest global assessment of arthropods preying on vertebrates to provide a conceptual framework, identify global patterns and provide a searchable database. Location Global. Time period Present. Major taxa studied Arthropods and vertebrates. Methods A systematic literature review was conducted. Results Over 1,300 recorded observations were collated from 89 countries. Arthropod predators were from 6 classes and 83 families. Vertebrate prey were from 5 classes and 163 families. Spiders represented over half of all predatory events and were the main predator for all vertebrates except birds, which were mostly preyed upon by praying mantises. Forty percent of all prey were amphibians, specifically frogs. Depredated reptiles were nearly all lizards, half of mammal prey were bats, nearly a third of fish were Cypriniformes and half of bird prey were passerines. Predation by spiders was mainly documented from the U.S., Brazil and Australia, and biased mostly everywhere except the U.S.; insect predatory events were mainly documented from Europe, Australia and the Americas, and biased toward North America; amphibian events were mainly from the Americas and strongly biased everywhere, except for the U.S. and Australia; reptiles events were recorded mostly from the Americas and Australia, and biased towards the U.S. and Australia; predation on birds were mainly from the Americas, Australia and Europe, and biased towards Central America and Europe; and mammal events were mostly reported from North and Central America, Australia, and Asia, and strongly biased everywhere except Brazil. Main conclusions This study demonstrates that arthropods are underestimated predators of vertebrates. Recognizing and quantifying these predator–prey interactions is vital for identifying patterns and the potential impact of these relationships on shaping vertebrate populations and communities.

Lizard predation by spiders: A review from the Neotropical and Andean regions

“…These nocturnal hunters ambush their prey on the foliage or on the soil surface (Jocqué & Dippenaar‐Schoeman, 2006; Schmitt et al., 1990), and may detect prey visually or by means of air or ground vibrations (Neuhofer et al., 2009). Although Ctenids’ diet is mainly composed by terrestrial invertebrates (Willemart & Lacava, 2017), there are numerous cases of these spiders consuming vertebrates such as fish (Nyffeler & Pusey, 2014), amphibians (Nyffeler & Altig, 2020; Salas et al., 2019; Valdez, 2020), and lizards (this review). In addition, it has been pointed out that because ctenids can reach high densities in the forest floor, vertebrate predation by these spiders can be ecologically important (Menin et al., 2005).…”

“…(3) The preferential focus of ecological research on conservation hotspots or ecoregions in the Brazilian and Chacoan subregions (DeClerck et al., 2010; Mittermeier et al., 2005; Santos et al., 2011) provides more opportunities to observe interactions such as these of spiders consuming lizards. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that none of the available reviews on spiders consuming vertebrates (i.e., amphibians, bats, fish) include data from the Andean region (Menin et al., 2005; Nyffeler & Knörnschild, 2013; Nyffeler & Pusey, 2014; Valdez, 2020). As such, our review is the first in communicating vertebrate predation by spiders in this region.…”

Muscle Spasms – A Common Symptom Following Theraphosid Spider Bites?

“…Moreover, humans are not amongst the natural prey of theraphosid spiders and a primary role as a defensive mechanism against larger predators appears unlikely given the late onset of the cramps, often starting only several hours after the bite (Fuchs et al, 2014). Interestingly, theraphosid venoms also cause similar symptoms including convulsions in mice, but with a much quicker onset (Andreev-Andrievskiy et al, 2017;Finlayson and Smithers, 1939) and it is known that theraphosids occasionally prey on small vertebrates including mammals such as bats and rodents (Valdez, 2020). Accordingly, the toxins responsible for causing muscle spasms may actually have evolved to target smaller vertebrate prey, but a defensive purpose of these toxins against smaller vertebrate predators can also not be ruled out.…”

Depredación sobre Trachycephalus typhonius (Linnaeus) (Anura: Hylidae) por una mantis (Mantodea: Mantidae) en México

“…Los principales depredadores de vertebrados dentro de los artrópodos son arácnidos e insectos (Valdez 2020), a pesar del tamaño de las presas, por lo que estos eventos son raros (Ridpath 1977). Los Mantodea son uno de los principales grupos de insectos depredadores, ya que ocasionalmente cazan reptiles, anfibios, aves, mamíferos pequeños e incluso peces (Battiston et al 2018;Valdez 2020), exhibiendo con ello, una amplia variedad en su alimentación. Los anfibios (anuros) son depredados por algunos artrópodos (Toledo 2005), probablemente debido a su gran abundancia en la naturaleza, tamaño relativamente Recibido 1 Septiembre 2020 / Aceptado 30 Septiembre 2020 / Publicado online 30 Octubre 2020 pequeño y piel suave (Duellman y Trueb 1994).…”

“…La depredación es una de las principales causas de mortalidad en poblaciones de anfibios y puede ocurrir en cualquier etapa de su vida (Zug et al 2001). Entre los anuros, individuos de las familias Hylidae y Leptodactylidae son quienes cuentan con el mayor porcentaje de observaciones de depredación por artrópodos (Valdez 2020). Sin embargo, estos eventos sobre individuos de la familia Hylidae por parte de mantis (Mantidae y Thespidae) ha sido registrada de forma escasa (Tabla 1), debido a que existen reportes en los cuales no se confirma la identidad específica de las ranas o mantis observadas (Ramsay 1990;Rau y Rau 1913; presente estudio).…”