Levantamento de presas da aranha Vectius niger sp. (TROCHANTERIIDAE) em ambiente urbano de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

The structural complexity of the habitat is a key factor that determines the abundance and diversity of spiders in vegetation. Although these animals can occur in a variety of terrestrial ecosystems, the greatest diversity of species is found in the Neotropics. The Cerrado has two well-defined seasons, one dry and one rainy, such seasonality can interfere with the primary productivity of this habitat, which can affect predators such as spiders. In this sense, the objective of the present study was to identify which are the prey available and preyed on by Vectius niger, a typical Cerrado spider, in the natural environment and even if the height of the vegetation and the different seasons influence the abundance and diversity of the prey present in the Sibipiruna tree (Caesalpinia pluviosa). Our results showed that the most abundant prey observed were Formicidae (Hymenoptera) and that the prey preyed on by V. niger mostly also belonged to this group, however, other taxa were also found in the traps. There was a difference in the abundance of prey prey and expected in the seasons, being higher in the rainy season, but there was no difference between prey observed and prey at different times. We noticed that this spider possibly has a preference for ants and that the availability and abundance of prey may be related to the rainy and hot season, a period that has favorable conditions for an increase in the populations of most insects. In conclusion, our study provides the first information about V. niger prey, contributing as the first natural history study of this species, opening new avenues of investigation.