| Abstrakt: |
AbstractTwo colour morphs of Enoplognatha ovata(Clerck), “redimita” and “lineata” the abdomens of which are whitish with two pink stripes and greyish-yellow, respectively, differ in their foraging strategies. When placed in artificial arenas with flowering stems to ascend, we noted that both morphs had a strong tendency to wander over the ground rather than ascend a stem [unlike the crab spider, Misumena vatiaClerck (Araneae: Thomisidae)], but that lineatawas significantly more prone to wander than was redimita. Neither morph showed choice for the type of stem or colour of flower. Nevertheless, redimitashowed a greater preference for choosing white artificial flowers (discs) atop 30-cm wooden rods than did lineata. We propose that the relative abundances of the two colour morphs in the natural population represents a balanced polymorphism which is maintained in part by polyethism in hunting strategies, with redimitabeing more fastidious in its selection of cryptic hunting sites in flowers than is lineata, and the latter being more cryptic and more errant on the ground. |
