Predation on the gecko phyllodactylus gerrhopygus (Wiegmann) (squamata: Gekkonidae) by the six-eyed sand spider sicarius thomisoides (walckenaer) (araneae: Sicariidae)

Abstract

During the evening of January 9th, 2020, an adult female of Sicarius thomisoides was found under a rock feeding on a gecko Phyllodactylus gerrhopygus. The observation was made at Mamiña, Tamarugal province in northern Chile. This find is the first documented case of a sicariid preying on a vertebrate. Specifically, this event corresponds to a particular case of intraguild predation, since these species are insectivorous and use similar microhabitats in northern Chile.