Reproduction of Lycosa pseudoannulata (Boesenberg et Strand) (Araneae: Lycosidae) under different feeding conditions

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Applied Entomology and Zoology Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 166 - 170
• Main Authors: Suzuki, Y, Kiritani, K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: JAPANESE SOCIETY OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY 1974
• Subjects: arthropods; entomology; insects
• ISSN: 0021-4914; 1347-6068
• DOI: 10.1303/jjaez.18.166

Female sub-adults and adults of L. pseudoannulata were reared at 30°C, and 16hr illumination to investigate the effect of feeding regimes on their reproduction. The more prey (female adult of Nephotettix cincticeps) supplied each day, the more were captured, but the proportion of prey captured was reduced as the food supply increased. Subadults which consumed more than one prey per day developed normally, while those consumed one prey in every two days delayed in development and emerged as adults with smaller carapace width. These malnourished females were less fecund with a prolonged pre-oviposition period. The first oviposition occurred about 9 days after emergence when the females were allowed to feed more than 4 prey per day in the adult stage. No. of eggs per egg-sac increased as the amount of daily food consumption during the adult stage increased. A linear relationship was established between the amount of food consumed per day and the rate of egg maturation (no. of eggs oviposited/pre-oviposition period in days). The slope of the regression line suggested that females produced about 3 eggs by every one prey consumption. When females were allowed to prey upon mixed prey consisting of 5 species collected from paddy fields, they laid much more eggs than those preyed upon N. cincticeps only. This suggested that mixed prey consumption works in favour of reproduction of the spider.