抄録
The unique foraging ecology of the synotaxid spider Tekellina sadamotoi, including its natural diet and predatory behavior, is described based on field observations and laboratory experiments. Three-year field observations revealed that the natural diet of T. sadamotoi primarily consisted of a psocodea species, Paracaecilius japanus, which accounted for 98% of the prey items. In the field, the spider’s behaviour during prey capture was characterized by the absence of wrapping silks, and the biting site being the mouthparts of the prey. There was no significant positive correlation between prey and predator sizes, as even small juveniles were capable of consuming large prey. Laboratory experiments revealed that the predatory sequences of T. sadamotoi consisted of four behavioral elements: pre-strike, strike, lifting, and consumption. During the initial bite at the strike, the spider targeted various parts of the prey, including the dorsum of the prey’s thorax, forewings, or abdomen, later relocating the biting site to the prey’s mouthparts during consumption phase. The use of silk wrapping was not observed during predatory sequences, as suggested by the field observations. The study further discusses the relationship between the unique foraging ecology of T. sadamotoi and the unusual spinneret morphology of the genus, proposing implications for psocoptera specialist, which had not been detected among spiders before.
https://ror.org/00th7y414 
