Behavior and biology of Mygalomorphae

Abstract

The infraorder Mygalomorphae comprises almost 3000 species. It is widely distributed all over the world, and about one third of the species included in this infraorder is represented in the Neotropics. The knowledge on several aspects of the biology of Mygalomorphae is relatively scarce in comparison with the Araneomorphae. However, recent studies developed all over the world, but especially in the Neotropical region, are continuously contributing to add information on foraging strategies, communication, reproductive biology, habitat selection, and defenses against natural enemies, minimizing the differences in the status of knowledge between these groups. In this chapter, we review some the main topics on Mygalomorphae biology, including behavior and ecology.