First characterization of the behavioral repertory in a ricinulid: Cryptocellus narino Platnick & Paz 1979 (Arachnida, Ricinulei, Ricinoididae)

GARCIA, L. F.; TORRADO-LEÓN, E.; TALLARICO, G.; PERETTI, A. V.

JOURNAL OF INSECT BEHAVIOR

SPRINGER/PLENUM PUBLISHERS

Lugar: New York; Año: 2015 vol. 28 p. 447 - 459

0892-7553

Ricinuleids are considered one of the most enigmatic and neglected arachnid orders.The low diversity and poor local abundance of several species, makes the study ofmost aspects related to biology and behavior of this group very difficult. Most of thecurrent knowledge related to ricinuleid biology relies on anecdotal observations. So far,no published studies exist that describe in detail ricinuleid behavior. Here we presentfor the first time the behavioral repertory of a ricinuleid, the Neotropical speciesCryptocellus narino. 18 individuals (six males, six females and six immatures) wereexamined under controlled laboratory conditions to describe and quantify theirbehavioral repertory and its variation along the day. The behavioral repertory wasslightly more complex in males compared to females and immatures. The mostfrequent behavioral categories were "resting", "exploring" and "feeding". "Resting" wasthe most common behavior during the photophase, while "feeding" and "exploring"were the most common during scotophase, suggesting this species has a nocturnalactivity preference. This study also provides behaviors previously not known for thisgroup as well as a description of the daily schedule. We expect this work will become abaseline study for further research on ricinuleid ethology.