Pax islamita (Simon, 1873)

Pekár, Stano & Lubin, Yael, 2020, Pax islamita (Araneae: Zodariidae) as a new host of an acrocerid fly from Israel, Arachnology Letters 59, pp. 5-7 : 5

Pax islamita (Simon, 1873)

spiders are medium sized (6–10 mm in adult stage), inhabiting leaf litter ( Levy 1990). They were collected by hand under stones near the Adulam Nature Reserve (31.63419°N, 34.94669°E, 385 m a.s.l.), in central Israel, on 4. Apr. 2017. Specimens (n = 18, all juveniles) were placed individually into glass tubes (diameter 15 mm, 60 mm long) with a layer of gypsum on the bottom covered with a layer of sand. Spiders were kept at a room temperature of 24 °C and natural LD = 14:10 regime. One moth prey individual, Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, 1879 , was offered to each spiders the next day.

Results

Out of 18 individuals collected, two juveniles constructed igloo-shaped retreats using sand grains within 24 hours after placing them onto sand ( Fig. 1a ). The other individuals constructed a retreat only 12 days after consuming prey, within which they moulted. These first two spiders did not accept prey ( Ephestia moths), while all others (i.e. the non-parasitised spiders) did.

Two weeks later the first fly larva emerged from one individual via a dorsal opening on the opisthosoma ( Fig. 1b ). The larva produced a few strands of silk by which it was attached to the side of the retreat. The other larva ( Fig. 1c ) emerged three days later. Only the first larva managed to pupate nine days after emerging from the spider host ( Fig. 1d ). The other larva died six days after emergence as it did not manage to get rid of its own excrement. After seven days an adult male hatched and was killed and preserved ( Fig. 1e, f ). The parasitoid most likely belongs to the genus Ogcodes Latreille, 1796 (unfortunately, the material was lost when being sent to the specialist).

Figures

Fig. 1: a. retreat built by an infected Pax individual; b. carcass of Pax. Notice the dorsal opening on opisthosoma used by larva of Ogcodes for emergence (arrow); c. larva,after emergence; d. puparium; e. adult male,dorsal side;f. adult male, lateral side. Scale = 5 mm