T. Watanabe, The influence of energetic state on the form of stabilimentum built by Octonoba sybotides (Araneae : Uloboridae), ETHOLOGY, 105(8), 1999, pp. 719-725
The influence of food supply on the type of stabilimentum built by Octonoba
sybotides, an uloborid spider, was investigated in a laboratory experiment
. Spiders were separated into two groups that built distinct stabilimenta (
linear or spiral), and then further subdivided into two different feeding g
roups (food-deprived and food-supplemented). Food-deprived spiders (a fruit
fly every 10 d) tended to form spiral stabilimenta, whereas food-supplemen
ted spiders (a fruit fly every 2 d) tended to form linear stabilimenta. Fur
thermore, there was a significant difference in the distribution of stabili
mentum forms before and after egg production. After egg production, which i
nvolves a large expenditure of energy, spiders tended to form spiral stabil
imenta. These results suggest that the spider's energetic state influences
the type of stabilimentum built by O. sybotides, and that hunger induces th
e spider to form spiral stabilimenta.