Monday, December 11, 2006
D0102

Navigation in male crab spiders, Misumenoides formosipes: Use of visual and olfactory floral cues

Leo Stellwag, lstellwag@bsu.edu and Gary Dodson, gdodson@bsu.edu. Ball State University, Department of Biology, Muncie, IN

The crab spider Misumenoides formosipes is a sit-and-wait ambush predator of eastern North America preying primarily upon insect pollinators. Females are relatively sedentary, residing on the same flower for many days, while males must actively search for penultimate instar females. Females are receptive to mating immediately following their adult molt and a first male sperm priority pattern is most likely in this species, thereby placing a premium on locating females quickly. It is unknown what cues males use to navigate within their complex habitat in search of females. We report here on the male-biased operational sex ratio, the distances traveled and the possible cues utilized by moving males. Males in field trials moved towards nearby visual "targets" even in the absence of olfactory cues.


Species 1: Araneae Thomisidae Misumenoides formosipes (Crab spider)