Spider and feeding group orb web mass data
| . | . | . | Spider . | . | . | . | Feeding group . | . | . | . | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species . | Instar . | Sex . | Fresh mass (mg) . | N . | Dry mass/fresh mass . | N . | Web mass (mg) . | N . | Mass of LMM (mg) . | N . | ||||||
| A. cavaticus | Pen. | M | 1.05±0.028 | 5 | 0.52±0.025 | 5 | ||||||||||
| (web collections 7-10 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. cavaticus | Pen. | F | 327±18.5 | 22 | 0.270±0.009 | 7 | 1.18±0.037 | 10 | 0.56±0.023 | 10 | ||||||
| A. cavaticus | Adult | F | 518±62.6 | 11 | 0.268±0.008 | 4 | 1.59±0.041 | 15 | 0.74±0.020 | 15 | ||||||
| (web collections 17-19 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. aurantia | Adult | F | 315±41.1 | 7 | 0.313±0.026 | 7 | 1.89±0.073 | 25 | 0.74±0.030 | 25 | ||||||
| (web collections 27-29 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. trifasciata | Adult | F | 265±16.7 | 12 | 0.265±0.011 | 6 | 1.59±0.070 | 32 | 0.56±0.025 | 32 | ||||||
| (web collection 34 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| . | . | . | Spider . | . | . | . | Feeding group . | . | . | . | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species . | Instar . | Sex . | Fresh mass (mg) . | N . | Dry mass/fresh mass . | N . | Web mass (mg) . | N . | Mass of LMM (mg) . | N . | ||||||
| A. cavaticus | Pen. | M | 1.05±0.028 | 5 | 0.52±0.025 | 5 | ||||||||||
| (web collections 7-10 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. cavaticus | Pen. | F | 327±18.5 | 22 | 0.270±0.009 | 7 | 1.18±0.037 | 10 | 0.56±0.023 | 10 | ||||||
| A. cavaticus | Adult | F | 518±62.6 | 11 | 0.268±0.008 | 4 | 1.59±0.041 | 15 | 0.74±0.020 | 15 | ||||||
| (web collections 17-19 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. aurantia | Adult | F | 315±41.1 | 7 | 0.313±0.026 | 7 | 1.89±0.073 | 25 | 0.74±0.030 | 25 | ||||||
| (web collections 27-29 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
| A. trifasciata | Adult | F | 265±16.7 | 12 | 0.265±0.011 | 6 | 1.59±0.070 | 32 | 0.56±0.025 | 32 | ||||||
| (web collection 34 excluded) | ||||||||||||||||
F=female; M=male; Pen.=penultimate instar; LMM=low-molecular-mass compounds(includes 11 organic compounds listed in Introduction plus H2PO4-).
Values are means ± s.e.m.; N=number of observations.
Spider masses for penultimate instar male A. cavaticus were not obtained but are probably comparable to those of penultimate instar females. Note that some of the variation in spider mass in all three species may be attributable to variation in the number of stadia spiders pass through before arriving at the penultimate instar and, consequently, variation also in the number of stadia preceding adulthood.
Feeding group desiccated web mass and total mass for the 12 measured LMM are presented here to provide an indication of values that are typical for these spiders, at least in the laboratory, when they are capturing prey (but not allowed to recycle their webs beyond the first post-ecdysial web). Webs with especially low mass at the end of a series have been excluded from the presented means since they are viewed as being more atypical, compromised webs resulting from internal preparations for molting or egg laying.