Jumping Spiders Make Predatory Detours Requiring Movement Away From Prey

Tarsitano, Michael S.; Jackson, Robert R.

doi:10.1163/156853994x00217

Cited by 55 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Portia apparently does not have to see a spider to use smokescreen behaviour effectively, because Portia performed smokescreen behaviour when at any orientation relative to the prey spiders. This behavioural pattern is likely to be related to a feature of Portia's stalking strategy: Portia sometimes shows 'detour behaviour', a behaviour previously described in jumping spiders by Hill (1979), in that it does not stalk directly towards a prey spider, but instead takes a circuitous route, often not looking at the prey when doing so and even going around obstacles that cut off the prey spider from view Tarsitano & Jackson 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Spiderweb smokescreens: spider trickster uses background noise to mask stalking movements

1996

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Abstract. The stalking behaviour of four species of jumping spiders, Portia fimbriata, P. labiata, P. schultzi and P. africana, was examined to determine whether Portia opportunistically exploits situations in which the prey spider is distracted by environmental disturbances. Disturbances were created mainly by wind blowing on webs and a magnet shaking webs. All four Portia species moved significantly further during disturbance than during non-disturbance, a behaviour labelled 'opportunistic smokescreen behaviour'. Portia can discriminate between spiders and other prey such as live insects, wrapped-up insects in the web, and egg sacs, because Portia used opportunistic smokescreen behaviour only against spiders and not against these other types of prey. If the location of disturbances and the location of prey differ, Portia can accurately discriminate between them. Portia's smokescreen behaviour apparently is a true predatory tactic because Portia attacked prey more often during disturbances than at other times. Smokescreen behaviour appears to work in part because the disturbances that Portia uses for smokescreens interfere with the prey's ability to sense Portia's stalking movements.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Spiderweb smokescreens: spider trickster uses background noise to mask stalking movements

1996

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“…In addition to their advanced visual capabilities, jumping spiders have also been studied with respect to their cognitive capabilities. They have been shown to use a variety of cognitive skills, including complex decision-making, detour routing and opportunistic smokescreens (using environmental noise to hide stalking movements) (Edwards and Jackson, 1993;Edwards and Jackson, 1994;Jackson and Li, 2004;Tarsitano and Andrew, 1999;Tarsitano and Jackson, 1994;Wilcox and Jackson, 1998). Of particular relevance to the present study, Nakamura and Yamashita recently established that jumping spiders are able to learn a heat-avoidance task based upon colored substrates (Nakamura and Yamashita, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Cross-modal effects on learning: a seismic stimulus improves color discrimination learning in a jumping spider

VanderSal

Hebets

2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY The production of multimodal signals during animal displays is extremely common, and the function of such complex signaling has received much attention. Currently, the most frequently explored hypotheses regarding the evolution and function of complex signaling focus on the signal and/or signaler, or the signaling environment, while much less attention has been placed on the receivers. However, recent studies using vertebrates suggest that receiver psychology (e.g. learning and memory) may play a large role in the evolution of complex signaling. To date, the influence of multimodal cues on receiver learning and/or memory has not been studied in invertebrates. Here, we test the hypothesis that the presence of a seismic (vibratory)stimulus improves color discrimination learning in the jumping spider Habronattus dossenus. Using a heat-aversion learning experiment, we found evidence for a cross-modal effect on color learning. Over a series of training trials, individuals exposed to a seismic stimulus jumped onto the heated color less frequently and remained there for less time than did individuals not exposed to a seismic stimulus. In addition, in a final no-heat test trial, individuals from the seismic-present treatment were more likely to avoid the previously heated color than were individuals from the seismic-absent treatment. This is the first study to demonstrate a cross-modal influence on learning in an invertebrate.

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“…We designed our apparatus (figure 1) based on knowing that Portia will adopt detour routes that require first moving away from prey [46] and from knowing that Portia is reluctant to enter water [35,47]. When explaining our experimental procedures and later when presenting our findings, we will use upper case for the more important parts of the apparatus.…”

Section: Experimental Apparatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Representation of different exact numbers of prey by a spider-eating predator

Cross

Jackson

2017

Interface Focus.

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Our objective was to use expectancy-violation methods for determining whether Portia africana , a salticid spider that specializes in eating other spiders, is proficient at representing exact numbers of prey. In our experiments, we relied on this predator's known capacity to gain access to prey by following pre-planned detours. After Portia first viewed a scene consisting of a particular number of prey items, it could then take a detour during which the scene went out of view. Upon reaching a tower at the end of the detour, Portia could again view a scene, but now the number of prey items might be different. We found that, compared with control trials in which the number was the same as before, Portia 's behaviour was significantly different in most instances when we made the following changes in number: 1 versus 2, 1 versus 3, 1 versus 4, 2 versus 3, 2 versus 4 or 2 versus 6. These effects were independent of whether the larger number was seen first or second. No significant effects were evident when the number of prey changed between 3 versus 4 or 3 versus 6. When we changed prey size and arrangement while keeping prey number constant, no significant effects were detected. Our findings suggest that Portia represents 1 and 2 as discrete number categories, but categorizes 3 or more as a single category that we call ‘many’.

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Jumping Spiders Make Predatory Detours Requiring Movement Away From Prey

Cited by 55 publications

References 16 publications

Spiderweb smokescreens: spider trickster uses background noise to mask stalking movements

Spiderweb smokescreens: spider trickster uses background noise to mask stalking movements

Cross-modal effects on learning: a seismic stimulus improves color discrimination learning in a jumping spider

Representation of different exact numbers of prey by a spider-eating predator

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