Dispersal of Stegodyphus dumicola (Araneae, Eresidae): They do balloon after all!

Authors
Schneider, JM Roos, J Lubin, Y Henschel, JR
Citation
Jm. Schneider et al., Dispersal of Stegodyphus dumicola (Araneae, Eresidae): They do balloon after all!, J ARACHNOL, 29(1), 2001, pp. 114-116
Citations number
10
Categorie Soggetti
Entomology/Pest Control
Journal title
JOURNAL OF ARACHNOLOGY
ISSN journal
01618202 → ACNP
Volume
29
Issue
1
Year of publication
2001
Pages
114 - 116
Database
ISI
SICI code
0161-8202(2001)29:1<114:DOSD(E>2.0.ZU;2-P
Abstract
There has been some controversy about whether adult females of social Stego dyphus disperse by ballooning. Here we show that adult Stegodyphus dumicola (Eresidae) Pocock 1898 are able to gain up-lift by releasing a very large number of threads. The threads fan out widely from the spider's body and fo rm a triangular sheet. This previously unknown ballooning mechanism, enable s even large spiders to disperse over large distances.