New Observations of Maternal Care Exhibited by the Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia Viridans Hentz (Araneida: Oxyopidae)

Maternal care of young is found in various families of spiders, most notably the lycosids (Whitcomb and Eason, 1964; Eason, 1964, 1969; Rovner, 1973). Whitcomb and Eason (1964)reported the duration of egg incubation in wolf spiders could be monitored easily in the egg sac because lycosids will mend egg sacs that have been opened for inspection. An important facet of the maternal care by lycosid females is opening the egg sac to facilitate the emergence of young. The wolf spider rotates the egg sac with her legs and palps and cuts the seam of the egg sac with her chelicerae. Few wolf spider young have been observed to emerge from an egg sac without the aid of the female (Eason, 1964). Eason noted that female lycosids with young or with an egg sac from which spiderlings are due to emerge would "adopt" spiderlings of the same species from another egg sac. Unmated females with no egg sac were not as receptive to such spiderlings. Eason successfully exchanged egg sacs between females. The Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia viridans Hentz, displays maternal care behavior (Whitcomb, et al., 1966). The female Green Lynx, like the lycosids, aids the emerging young by opening the egg sac along a seam with her chelicerae. Whitcomb noted that, unlike the lycosids, spiderlings of P. viridans will emerge from the egg sac without maternal aid. Descriptions of egg sac construction by P. viridans were reported by Whitcomb (1962) and Whitcomb, et al. (1966). The female usually constructs the first egg sac 21-28 days after mating. Egg sac