Philodromus rufus

Walckenaer, 1826

white-striped running crab spider

Species Guides

Philodromus rufus jenningsi
Philodromus rufus pacificus(Pacific running crab spider)
Philodromus rufus quartus
Philodromus rufus vibrans

Philodromus rufus is a Holarctic running crab spider in the Philodromidae. Laboratory studies indicate pronounced in predatory , with females killing approximately six times more prey than males. The exhibits a to prey influenced by prey activity levels. Five are recognized, including the nominate form and four regional variants in North America.

Philodromus rufus jenningsi by no rights reserved, uploaded by Trevor Clarke. Used under a CC0 license.

Philodromus rufus pacificus by (c) Claus Giloi, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Claus Giloi. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Philodromus rufus: //ˌfɪloʊˈdroʊməs ˈruːfəs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Distinguished from similar Philodromus by male courtship : males vibrate their legs during courtship and possess an angular retrolateral on the palpal tibia. The P. rufus vibrans is smaller and heavily speckled. Distinguished from P. exilis (eastern North America) by the latter's lack of leg vibration and non-angular palpal apophysis.

Images

Distribution

North America; Europe; Turkey; Caucasus; Russia (including Siberia); Central Asia; Kazakhstan; Iran; Mongolia; China; Korea; Japan.

Diet

; laboratory studies used Drosophila melanogaster as prey.

Life Cycle

spiders progress through molting periods to reach adulthood; molting strongly influences feeding rate.

Behavior

males exhibit relatively uniform feeding patterns and are inefficient compared to females, which show irregular feeding patterns. Courtship involves male leg vibration. Feeding rate is strongly influenced by periods of starvation, molting, and oviposition (in females). At high prey densities, uncaptured prey interfere with feeding spiders, creating an inverse relationship between hunger and individual prey utilization. Both feeding time and searching time vary with prey .

Ecological Role

; to prey demonstrated in laboratory conditions, with prey activity, predator feeding time, and rate of discovery as density-dependent parameters.

Similar Taxa

Philodromus exilisOccurs in eastern North America (Great Lakes-St. Lawrence-Acadian forests); males lack leg vibration and have non-angular palpal
Philodromus rufus vibrans; smaller body size and heavily speckled coloration