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Reliance on trial and error signal derivation by Portia africana, an araneophagic jumping spider from East Africa

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Abstract

All species from the jumping spider (Salticidae) genus Portia appear to be predators that specialize at preying on other spiders by invading webs and, through aggressive mimicry, gaining dynamic fine control over the resident spider’s behavior. From previous research, there is evidence that P. fimbriata, P. labiata and P. schultzi derive signals by trial and error. Here, we demonstrate that P. africana is another species that uses a trial and error, or generate and test, algorithm when deriving the aggressive-mimicry signals that will be appropriate in different predator–prey encounters. We discuss the implications of these new findings and the findings from previous work in order to understand the selection factors that drive the evolution of flexibility in aggressive-mimicry strategies.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Godfrey Otieno Sune, Stephen Abok Aluoch and Jane Atieno Obonyo for their assistance at ICIPE. We also gratefully acknowledge support from the Royal Society of New Zealand (Marsden Fund and James Cook Fellowship) and the National Geographic Society (USA).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Robert R. Jackson & Ximena J. Nelson

  2. International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Thomas Odhiambo Campus, P.O. Box 30, Mbita Point, Kenya

    Robert R. Jackson

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  1. Robert R. Jackson
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  2. Ximena J. Nelson
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Correspondence to Ximena J. Nelson.

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Jackson, R.R., Nelson, X.J. Reliance on trial and error signal derivation by Portia africana, an araneophagic jumping spider from East Africa. J Ethol 29, 301–307 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-010-0258-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-010-0258-5

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