PREY PREFERENCES OF PORTIA-LABIATA, PORTIA-AFRICANA, AND PORTIA-SCHULTZI, ARANEOPHAGIC JUMPING SPIDERS (ARANEAE, SALTICIDAE) FROM THE PHILIPPINES, SRI-LANKA, KENYA, AND UGANDA

Prey-preference behaviour of three species of araneophagic salticid (P . labiata from the Philippines and Sri Lanka, P. africana from Kenya a nd Uganda, and P. schultzi from Kenya) is studied in the laboratory fo r the first time. ''Well-fed'' (7 day fast) and ''starved'' (14 day fa st) males and females of each species have a pronounced preference for web-building spiders over insects, and a less pronounced preference f or salticid spiders over insects. Also, well-fed and starved males and females of these species prefer web-building spiders to salticids. Pr eferences for taxonomic type of prey are the same regardless of whethe r living, active prey or dead, motionless lures are used, suggesting t hat all these araneophagic salticids can distinguish between the diffe rent taxonomic categories of prey without reference to their different movement patterns. For each species, females-relative to males-prefer red larger prey. When extra-starved (21 day fast), males and females o f all species appeared to take prey of different taxonomic categories indiscriminately. Findings from this study are discussed in relation t o earlier studies on myrmecophagic salticids and on other araneophagic salticids.