PREY PREFERENCES OF PORTIA-FIMBRIATA, AN ARANEOPHAGIC, WEB-BUILDING JUMPING SPIDER (ARANEAE, SALTICIDAE) FROM QUEENSLAND

Portia fimbriata from Queensland, a previously studied jumping spider (Salticidae), routinely includes web-building spiders and cursorial sa lticids in its diet, both of these types of prey being dangerous and u nusual prey for a salticid. The present paper is the first derailed st udy of P, fimbriata's prey preferences. Three basic types of tests of prey preference were used, providing evidence that (I) P. fimbriata ma les and females prefer spiders (both web-building spiders in webs and salticids away from webs) to insects; (2) P. fimbriata males and femal es prefer salticids to web-building spiders; (3) P. fimbriata males an d females prefer larger spiders to smaller spiders; (4) there are inte rsexual differences in the preferences of P, fimbriata for prey size, females preferring larger prey and males preferring smaller prey; and (5) P. fimbriata's prey preferences are not affected by a prior period without food of 2 weeks. When preferences were tested for by using bo th living, active prey and dead, motionless lures, the same preference s were expressed, indicating that P. fimbriata can distinguish among d ifferent types of prey independent of the different movement patterns of different prey.