Reeling in the prey: Fishing behaviour in an orb web spider

Abstract

When an insect is intercepted by a spider web, spiders quickly locate the prey, and run towards it. Once they make contact with the prey, they immobilise the prey and retrieve it to the centre of the web or the retreat for consumption. However, in rare circumstances, the spider can also pull the prey towards itself either while running to the prey or from a stationary position, a behaviour termed as ‘reeling’. Reeling is paradoxical since it can lead to web deformation or damage, thereby jeopardising future foraging success. Reeling may lead to increased retention time for heavier prey or for information acquisition with respect to the prey's identity, especially when these prey can cause damage to either the web or the spider itself. We explored the function of reeling behaviour in a neotropical orb web spider Verrucosa arenata. We show that spiders performed reeling behaviour irrespective whether they were approaching heavy or light prey, but they changed their trajectories of approach. Spiders approached heavier prey slower than light prey and they showed significantly higher frequencies of changes in velocities. We discuss these findings in the context of prey capture strategies and prey recognition.

Negative allometry of orb web size in spiders and the implications for the evolution of giant webs

“…Where feasible, photograph-based data collection provides a way to minimise interventions with no loss of accuracy. Other studies have used a similar technique for obtaining web measurements, using stills from a video recording containing a scale for calibration, emphasising the potential versatility of this approach (Rao et al 2019). Although we were unable to get clear photos of webs with our available camera even when webs were misted with water (Solano-Brenes et al 2018), other researchers may have more luck with their equipment and be able to use photography for scientific measurement of web size.…”