Feeding frequency, prey acceptance, and natural diet of the mygalomorph spider Acanthogonatus centralis Goloboff 1995 (Araneae: Nemesiidae)

GABRIEL POMPOZZI; SOFÍA COPPERI

ZOOLOGICAL STUDIES

ACAD SINICA INST ZOOLOGY

Lugar: Taiwan; Año: 2018

1021-5506

The family Nemesiidae is the second most diverse family within the Mygalomorphae spiders. Acanthogonatus centralis (Nemesiidae) is commonly found in hilly areas of central Argentina. These spiders are considered generalists, due to their basal position in the phylogeny, but little is known about the trophic ecology of the species. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to study some predatory traits of this species, such as feeding frequency and prey acceptance, and to assess the natural diet. In addition, two parameters: attack latency and consumption time, for each accepted prey, were measured. We found that A. centralis feeds every two days accepting almost all prey offered. The most accepted prey items were beetle larvae and termites. In fact, termites were attacked faster than the other prey, being more suitable for these spiders. In regard to the natural diet, we found remains of seven prey items, ants and beetles being the most frequent prey found. In this study, we found that Acanthogonatus centralis is polyphagous since it accepts different kinds of prey.