Novel decorating behaviour of silk retreats in a challenging habitat

Abstract

Many ecological interactions of spiders with their potential prey and predators are affected by the visibility of their bodies and silk, especially in habitats with lower structural complexity that expose spiders. For instance, the surface of tree trunks harbours relatively limited structures to hide in and may expose residents to visual detection by prey and predators. Here we provide the first detailed description of the novel retreat building strategy of the tree trunk jumping spider Arasia mullion. Using fields surveys, we monitored and measured over 115 spiders and 554 silk retreats. These spiders build silk retreats on the exposed surface of tree trunks, where they remain as sedentary permanent residents. Furthermore, the spiders decorate the silk retreats with bark debris that they collect from the immediate surrounding. We discuss the role of silk decoration in the unusual sedentary behaviour of these spiders and the potential mechanisms that allow A. mullion to engineer their niche in a challenging habitat.