Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Adjustment of web-building initiation to high humidity: a constraint by humidity-dependent thread stickiness in the spider Cyrtarachne

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Naturwissenschaften Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cyrtarachne is an orb-weaving spider belonging to the subfamily Cyrtarachninae (Araneidae) which includes triangular-web-building Pasilobus and bolas spiders. The Cyrtarachninae is a group of spiders specialized in catching moths, which is thought to have evolved from ordinary orb-weaving araneids. Although the web-building time of nocturnal spiders is in general related to the time of sunset, anecdotal evidence has suggested variability of web-building time in Cyrtarachne and its closely related genera. This study has examined the effects of temperature, humidity, moonlight intensity, and prey (moths) availability on web-building time of Cyrtarachne bufo, Cyrtarachne akirai, and Cyrtarachne nagasakiensis. Generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) have revealed that humidity, and not prey availability, was the essential variable that explained the daily variability of web-building time. Experiments measuring thread stickiness under different humidities showed that, although the thread of Cyrtarachne was found to have strong stickiness under high humidity, low humidity caused a marked decrease of thread stickiness. By contrast, no obvious change in stickiness was seen in an ordinary orb-weaving spider, Larinia argiopiformis. These findings suggest that Cyrtarachne adjusts its web-building time to favorable conditions of high humidity maintaining strong stickiness, which enables the threads to work efficiently for capturing prey.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barlow HS, Woiwod IP (1989) Moth diversity of a tropical forest in peninsular Malaysia. J Trop Ecol 5:37–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton K (2009) MuMIn: multi-model inference. In: R package version 0.12.0. http://r-forge.r-project.org/projects/mumin/

  • Blackledge TA (2012) Spider silk: a brief review and prospectus on research linking biomechanics and ecology in draglines and orb webs. J Arachnol 40:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blackledge TA, Kuntner M, Agnarsson I (2011) The form and function of spider orb webs: evolution from silk to ecosystems. A Insect Physiol 41:175–262

  • Burnham KP, Anderson DR (2002) Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach, 2nd edn. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Buskirk R (1975) Coloniality, activity patterns and feeding in a tropical orb-weaving spider. Ecology 56:1314–1328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cartan CK, Miyashita T (2000) Extraordinary web and silk properties of Cyrtarachne (Araneae, Araneidae): a possible link between orb-webs and bolas. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 71:219–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clyne D (1973) Notes of the web of Poecilopachys australasia (Araneida: Argiopidae). Aust Entomol Mag 1:23–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig CL (1987) The ecological and evolutionary interdependence between web architecture and web silk spun by orb web weaving spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 30:135–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig CL (2003) Spider webs and silk tracing evolution from molecules to genes to pehnotypes. Oxford University Press, New York, p 230

    Google Scholar 

  • Eberhard WG (1977) Aggressive chemical mimicry by a bolas spider. Science 198:1173–1175

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eberhard WG (1980) The natural history and behaviour of the bolas spider Mastophora dizzydeani sp. n. (Araneidae). Psyche 87:143–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edmonds DT, Vollrath F (1992) The contribution of atmospheric water vapour to the formation and efficiency of a spider’s capture web. Proc R Soc Lond B 248:145–148

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eisner T, Alsop R, Ettershank G (1964) Adhesiveness of spider silk. Science 146:1058–1061

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harmer AMT, Blackledge TA, Madin JS, Herberstein ME (2011) High-performance spider webs: integrating biomechanics, ecology and behaviour. J Royal Soc Interface 8:457–471

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson RR (1977) Web sharing by males and females of dictynid spiders. Bull Br Arachnol Soc 4:109–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Janzen DH (1988) Ecological characterization of a Costa Rican dry forest caterpillar fauna. Biotropica 20:120–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marples BJ, Marples MJ (1971) Notes on the behaviour of spiders in the genus Zygiella. Bull Br Arachnol Soc 2:16–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyashita T, Sakamaki Y, Shinkai A (2001) Evidence against moth attraction by Cyrtarachne, a genus related to bolas spiders. Acta Arachnol 50(1):1–4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muirhead-Thomson RC (1991) Trap responses of flying insects. Academic, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Okamoto D (1942) Appearance time on webs in Araneus venticosus. Acta Arachnol 7:133–139 (in Japanese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opell BD (1994) Increased stickiness of prey capture threads accompanying web reduction in the spider family Uloboridae. Funct Ecol 8:85–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opell BD (1996) Functional similarities of spider webs with diverse architectures. Am Nat 148:630–648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opell BD (1997) The material cost and stickiness of capture threads and the evolution of orb-weaving spiders. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 62:443–458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Opell BD, Karinshak SE, Sigler MA (2011) Humidity affects the extensibility of an orb-weaving spider’s viscous thread droplets. J Exp Biol 214:2988–2993

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2013) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria, Available at http://www.r-project.org

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson MH, Robinson B (1975) Evolution beyond the orb web: the web of the araneid spider Pasilobus sp., its structure, operation and construction. Zool J Linn Soc 56:301–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sahni V, Balckledge TA, Dhinojwala A (2011a) A review on spider silk adhesion. J Adhesion 87:595–614

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sahni V, Blackledge TA, Dhinojwala A (2011b) Changes in the adhesive properties of spider aggregate glue during the evolution of cobwebs. Sci Rep 1:41

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sandoval CP (1994) Plasticity in web design in the spider Parawixia bistriata: a response to variable prey type. Funct Ecol 8:701–707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scharff N, Coddington JA (1997) A phylogenetic analysis of the orb-weaving spider family Araneidae (Arachnida, Araneae). Zool J Linn Soc 120:355–434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selden PA (1989) Orb-web weaving spiders in the early Cretaceous. Nature 340:711–713

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shinkai A, Sadamoto M, Suzuki K, Sinkai E (1985) Notes on the web and the prey of Cyrtarachne. ATYPUS No.86

  • Stowe MK (1986) Prey specialization in the Araneidae. In: Shear WA (ed) Webs, Behavior, and Evolution. Stanford University Press, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Stowe MK, Tulmlinson JH, Heath RR (1987) Chemical mimicry: bolas spiders emit components of moth prey species sex pheromones. Science 236:964–967

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Suginaga A (1963) Web-building and predation behavior of Cyrtarachne bufo and C. inaequalis. Atypus 31:13–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Townley MA, Bernstein DT, Gallagher KS, Tillinghast EK (1991) Comparative study of orb web hygroscopicity and adhesive spiral composition in three araneid spiders. J Exp Zool 259:154–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vollrath F, Edmonds DT (1989) Modulation of the mechanical properties of spider silk by coating with water. Nature 340:305–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vollrath F, Fairbrother WJ, Williams RJP, Tillinghast EK, Bernstein DT, Gallagher KS, Townley MA (1990) Compounds in the droplets of the orb spider's viscid spiral. Nature 345:526–528

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams CB (1936) The influence of moonlight on the activity of certain nocturnal insects, particularly of the family Noctuidae, as indicated by a light trap. Philos Trans R Soc, B 226:357–389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeargan KV (1988) Ecology of a bolas spider, Mastophora hutchinsoni: phenology, hunting tactics, and evidence for aggressive chemical mimicry. Oecologia 74:524–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeargan KV (1994) Biology of bolas spiders. Annu Rev Entomol 39:81–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshikura M (1987) The biology of spiders. Japan Scientific Societies Press, Tokyo, Japan

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The Education Committee of Namegawa Town provided comfortable accommodation. The owners of study area, Y. Kami and T. Nagashima, allowed us to use the area, and M. Ishikawa supported us in study area. University of Forest in Chiba permitted us to use its forest and facilities. A. Shimazaki helped us in carrying out this study in Chiba. N. Kato provided us some of the illustrations. J. Pierre and M. Nagendran improved English in early draft. The staffs of the Laboratory of Biodiversity Science of the University of Tokyo offered useful discussion.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-8604, Japan

    Yuki G. Baba

  2. 2-5-50 Nagayama-Cho, Katsuyama City, Fukui, 911-0031, Japan

    Miki Kusahara

  3. Department of Professional Development of Teachers, Graduate School Education, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui City, Fukui, 910-8507, Japan

    Yasunori Maezono

  4. Laboratory of Biodiversity Science, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan

    Tadashi Miyashita

Authors
  1. Yuki G. Baba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Miki Kusahara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yasunori Maezono
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tadashi Miyashita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuki G. Baba.

Additional information

Communicated by: Sven Thatje

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 50 kb)

ESM 2

(PDF 152 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Baba, Y.G., Kusahara, M., Maezono, Y. et al. Adjustment of web-building initiation to high humidity: a constraint by humidity-dependent thread stickiness in the spider Cyrtarachne . Naturwissenschaften 101, 587–593 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-014-1196-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-014-1196-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation