Dragline-Following by Male Lycosid Spiders

Wolf spiders stalk or ambush their prey rather than build preycapture webs. Production of silk by lycosids is important during aerial dispersal via ballooning (Richter, 1970b) and, in some, during post-immobilization wrapping of prey (Rovner and Knost, 1974), and construction of egg sacs or sperm webs (Richter, 1970a). During locomotion both sexes lay down silk draglines that are generally assumed to have a stabilizing or security function (Richter and Van der Krann, 1970). In addition, female draglines induce courtship behavior in male conspecifics and, in some species, males are reported to have followed a female trail, but no systematic analyses of the dragline-following behavior have been attempted (Bristowe and Locket, 1926; Engelhardt, 1964; Kaston, 1936). The present study is concerned with the trail-following behavior of male Lycosa rabida and L. punctulata. Specific areas of investigation include determination of the use of various appendages during following, analysis of cues involved in initiating and maintaining trail-following, and an interspecific comparison of trailfollowing behavior.