Prey preferences and visual discrimination ability of Brettus, Cocalus andCyrba, araneophagic jumping spiders (Araneae : Salticidae) from Australia,Kenya and Sri Lanka

Brettus adonis, Brettus albolimbatus, Cocalus gibbosus, Cyrba ocellata and Cyrba simoni (Salticidae: Spartaeinae) are genera of aberrant jumping spide rs from Australia, Kenya and Sri Lanka that routinely include web-building spiders in their diet. The present paper is the first detailed study of pre y choice by these five species. Three basic types of tests were used: diffe rent types of prey provided on successive days (alternate-day tests), two t ypes of prey provided at the same time (simultaneous-presentation tests), o r a second prey type provided while the predator was already feeding (alter native-prey tests). Each species during alternate-day and simultaneous-pres entation tests chose web-building spiders in preference to insects, both wh en 'well fed' (last meal 7 days before testing) and when starved (last meal 14 days before testing). Insects and spiders were taken indiscriminately a fter 21 days of fasting. The same preferences were evident when dead, motio nless lures instead of living prey were used, indicating that, while relyin g on optical cues alone, each species can distinguish between spiders and i nsects independent of the different movement patterns of these different pr ey. There was no evidence of preference in alternative-prey tests.