Signaling by decorating webs: luring prey or deterring predators?

Many organisms convey false signals to mislead their prey orpredators. Some orb-weaving spiders build conspicuous structureson webs called decorations. Web decorations and spider colorationsare both suggested to be important signals involved in interactionsbetween spiders and other organisms. There are several hypothesesabout the functions of signaling by decorations, among whichprey attraction had received much support, but empirical evidenceregarding predator defense is controversial. In this study,we conducted field experiments to investigate the effects ofspider decoration and coloration on insect interception ratesof webs built by Argiope aemula and to evaluate whether presenceof decorations may decrease predation risk of spiders. Decoratedwebs with spiders present had the highest prey interceptionrate, followed by undecorated webs with spiders, and then undecoratedwebs without spiders. Such results indicated that decorationsof Argiope spiders functioned as visual lures, and so did spiders'bright body colorations. In the field, almost all wasp attackevents occurred on medium-sized spiders rather than on largeones. Moreover, medium-sized Arg. aemula on decorated webs receivedfar more attacks than those on undecorated webs. Results ofthis study thus show that the signals conveyed by decorationscan visually lure prey but at the cost of an increased predationrisk. Received 20 March 2007; revised 3 August 2007; accepted 5 August 2007.     

The function of turret building behaviour in the larval tiger beetle, Cicindela willistoni (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

Abstract. 1. Cicindela willistoni LeConte (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) adults and larvae occur only on saline and alkali flats with little or no vegetation in southwestern U.S.A. Unlike other larval tiger beetle species, C.willistoni constructs a chimney-like extension (turret) 1–4 cm above its burrow.
2. The function of these unique turrets was tested in relation to several biotic and abiotic factors in the Sulphur Springs Valley, Arizona, U.S.A.
3. The turrets did not prevent flooding of the larval burrows.
4. They did not prevent or reduce the frequency of parasitoids (mainly bombyliid flies of the genus Anthrax ).
5. The turrets did not make it possible for the adult and larval beetles to feed on obviously different types or sizes of prey.
6. However, larvae with turrets were raised sufficiently above the substrate surface and boundary layer to allow them to thermoregulate in the lower temperatures at these heights and remain active throughout the day.
7. The shade produced by the turrets attracted significantly more potential prey items than were available to turretless larvae in the same habitat.     

Hunting Behavior in the Ctenizidae

The most primitive way of hunting in Mygalomorph spiders seemsto be the free roaming and catching of encountered prey Theraphosidae.The trap-door spiders Ctenizidae, Actinopodidae and Barychelidawhich are entirely sedentary, lie in wait behind the trap-doorand leap at prey that happens to pass close to the door. Somespecies spin radial silk threads outside the door which functionas stumbleor signal-lines, and some Australian species use grassblades and other litter in the same way. A further evolutionarystep leads to species which do not build a trap-door but crowntheir burrow by a funnel-shaped web. The Dipluridae finallyare real web-builders, which depend on a sheet-web to catchtheir prey. Generally they do not dig a burrow but hide in asmall retreat from which a funnel-web leads to the net. With a few exceptions Ctenizidae are entirely nocturnal. Theirrhythm of activity has been analyzed. The "Zeitgeber" is thedaylight during the last half hour before sunset. Most trapdoorspiders never leave their burrow during their whole life. Theyneed three to four years from hatching to become adults. Adultmales die during or at the end of the restricted mating-season;they take no food when adult. Females, which undergo post-adultmolts, can probably live for 15–20 years. Nemesia caementaria, like most other species, hunts during thewhole night. The mean time of activity is about Si/o hours,consisting of periods of lying in wait and periods of intermediaterests. The spiders make an average of three leaps per nightto catch a prey, but only about 10% of all bounds are successful.A hungry animal, lurking in vain, shows unmotivated leaps. The effects of light, moisture, and temperature on hunting activityare analyzed. Ctenizidae hunt during autumn, winter, and springbut interrupt their activity in summer for an estivation whichlasts usually two months. The females of some species capture the male after mating andeat him; others never attack him. This difference in behaviorlias repercussions on reproduction. Among certain species the young nymphs of the third instar refuseall food until they have made their own burrow and can huntby themselves. The young of other species stay with the motherfor one year and leave her at the fifth or sixth instar to maketheir own burrow. The young of Nemesia caementaria can remainin the burrow of the mother until they are almost adult, i.e.,for two or three years, and feed on the prey the mother hascaught. The behavior of Ctenizidae can be grouped. Some species lurkbehind the closed or almost closed trap-door. Another groupopens the trap-door and puts the pedipalpi and the two anteriorpairs of legs radially out onto the rim of the burrow, whilethe cephalothorax is hidden behind the trap-door. A third groupspins threads of silk radially about the entrance and uses themas signal-lines. A fourth group can come out and pursue theprey, then drags it to the trap-door and into the burrow. The nature of the prey depends on the bio tope. The Ctenizidaefeed almost exclusively on insects, mainly ants and beetles;in the laboratory crickets are accepted as prey. Ctenizidae have no tarsal organ. They have different types oftrichobothria, transversal and longitudinal slit-organs, andlyriform organs. With these three kinds of sense-organs, thefunctions of which are not clearly understood, the trap-doorspiders are able to perceive the approach of prey, to judgeits distance from the trap-door, and to locate it in direction.They seem to have an organ of smell, since certain groups ofinsects are repulsive to them. Sight is not used for hunting.     

SIGNAL POLYMORPHISM IN THE WEB-DECORATING SPIDER ARGIOPE ARGENTATA IS CORRELATED WITH REDUCED SURVIVORSHIP AND THE PRESENCE OF STINGLESS BEES, ITS PRIMARY PREY

Abstract.— Many spiders, and in particular those in the genus Argiope, spin highly visible web decorations whose function and significance are the subject of spirited debate. In this work, we present data to address two of the competing hypotheses that fuel this controversy. In particular, we examine the relationship between the presence of web decorations and spider survivorship (predator‐protection hypothesis) and the relationship between the presence of prey and spider decorating behavior (the prey‐attraction hypothesis). Our laboratory studies reveal that the decorating behavior of the spider A. argentata has a genetic component but that the expression of decorating behavior tends to be elicited only when a spider is well fed. Furthermore, our field studies show that in the presence of abundant stingless bees, spider decorating behavior is induced. Nevertheless, our field surveys also suggest that spiders that decorate their webs show reduced survivorship. We propose that the high correlation between web decorating in the presence of stingless bees supports the hypothesis that A. argentata engage in decorating behavior when attracting or targeting specific prey types. However, we also propose that web decorations attract the predators of A. argentata because high‐frequency decorators suffer lower survivorship than spiders that decorate moderately or rarely. These findings suggest that spider web decorating behavior is affected by conflicting selection pressures: the positive effect of prey attraction versus the negative effect of predator attraction. Due to the heritable component of decorating behavior, web decorating among A. argentata is likely to be particularly sensitive to the spider's local ecology as well as local patterns of gene flow.     

Signalling conflict between prey and predator attraction

Predators may utilize signals to exploit the sensory biases of their prey or their predators. The inclusion of conspicuous silk structures called decorations or stabilimenta in the webs of some orb‐web spiders (Araneae: Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Uloboridae) appears to be an example of a sensory exploitation system. The function of these structures is controversial but they may signal to attract prey and/or deter predators. Here, we test these predictions, using a combination of field manipulations and laboratory experiments. In the field, decorations influenced the foraging success of adult female St. Andrew’s Cross spiders, Argiope keyserlingi: inclusion of decorations increased prey capture rates as the available prey also increased. In contrast, when decorations were removed, prey capture rates were low and unrelated to the amount of available prey. Laboratory choice experiments showed that significantly more flies (Chrysomya varipes; Diptera: Calliphoridae) were attracted to decorated webs. However, decorations also attracted predators (adult and juvenile praying mantids, Archimantis latistylus; Mantodea: Mantidae) to the web. St. Andrew’s Cross spiders apparently resolve the conflicting nature of a prey‐ and predator‐attracting signal by varying their decorating behaviour according to the risk of predation: spiders spun fewer decorations if their webs were located in dense vegetation where predators had greater access, than if the webs were located in sparse vegetation.     

Effect of abiotic factors on the foraging strategy of the orb‐web spider Argiope keyserlingi (Araneae: Araneidae)

Abstract Environmental conditions such as light level, background contrast and temperature might influence a spider's prey capture success and risk of predation. Thus it may often be advantageous for spiders to adjust web‐building behaviour in response to variation in these environmental conditions. This hypothesis was examined in a study of the construction of webs and web decorations (conspicuous strands of silk at the hub of the web) of the orb‐web spider Argiope keyserlingi. Web decorations are thought to have one or more separate functions. They may attract prey, deter predators or advertise the web to oncoming birds, thus preventing web damage. In this series of experiments, relationships between weather parameters and the construction of webs and web decorations were considered. In complementary laboratory experiments, A. keyserlingi spiders were exposed to two different light levels (700 and 90 lx), background contrasts (black and white) and temperature conditions (20 and 26°C). Of the available weather parameters, only temperature was significantly related to web decorating behaviour but not to web size. In the laboratory, temperature also influenced web‐decorating behaviour, and spiders in dim light (700 lx) constructed larger webs and longer decorations. Background contrast did not significantly alter web size or web decorations. These data suggest that when prey availability is reduced at low temperatures, spiders may use web decorations to attract prey to the web. Similarly, in dim light, spiders may build more and larger decorations to increase the visual signal to approaching prey or to advertise the web to oncoming birds.     

The influence of drought,precipitation and fossorial mammal reintroduction on the density of fossorial arthropods and their burrows in arid Australia

The density and abundance of arid-dwelling taxa often change significantly in response to precipitation fluctuations and the abundance of their predators. The survival and density of burrowing arthropods and their burrows in arid environments following prolonged dry periods and subsequent rains is poorly understood, as is the potential influence of reintroductions of their predators, such as fossorial mammals. The persistence of these arthropods and their burrows may be important for other species that rely on them for food or use their burrows for shelter. In this study, we examined the density of burrowing and ground-nesting arthropods and their burrows in Australia's Strzelecki Desert over two years between 2019 and 2021. This period spanned the tail-end of the worst drought on record and subsequent drought-breaking rains. We employed a Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) study design to examine the short-term effects of a fossorial mammal reintroduction of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) into predator-free fenced exclosures and used an inspection camera to detect the presence of spiders and other taxa within individually marked burrows. We observed the largest changes in arthropod abundance and burrow density between a period that encompassed a third consecutive summer in drought and the commencement of drought-breaking rains, with some taxa declining by as much as 77% (p < 0.001). While the density of harvester ant middens erupted over this time, the density of tarantulas, trapdoor spiders and scorpions declined significantly. The greater bilby reintroduction had no short-term effect on the densities of the arthropods or their burrows, but their arrival may have implications on their post-drought recovery. Further studies are needed to determine if the significant declines in arthropod populations and burrows are reflective of normal boom-bust population dynamics due to the poor natural history knowledge of the arthropods we examined.     

Carcass Decoration Changes Web Structure and Prey Capture Rate in an Orb-Web Spider, Cyclosa mulmeinensis (Araneae, Araneidae)

Cyclosa spiders attach prey carcasses as decorations to their webs, but the functions of the carcasses are unclear and controversial. We investigated distinctive features of these webs in the field and conducted prey-capture experiments in the lab using the orb-web spider Cyclosa mulmeinensis. Webs with attached decoration had a significantly narrower mesh width than those without decoration and a higher degree of vertical asymmetry in the web’s shape. In the laboratory, webs without decorations trapped significantly more prey, even though other features of the webs were nearly identical. These results suggest that web decorations do not attract prey in this species, but might play other roles such as blinding predators to the spider’s presence.     

Correction to: Testing traditional hypotheses about prey capture efficiency in orb-web spiders

To capture prey, orb-web spiders create complex traps whose efficiency is contingent on a variety of factors that are not yet completely understood, including web size, competition for food, sun exposure, presence of web decorations and web orientation. Here we evaluate such factors in the field and ask which of them are the most influential variables affecting the quantity of prey captured in Argiope argentata webs. Webs were observed during the morning and the number of prey attached to each web was counted. Using the approach of information criteria based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC) values of each candidate model, we averaged the parameters of a global model, finding that the only predictor which 95% confidence interval did not include zero, was exposure to sunlight (whether the web is continuously shaded or continuously exposed to sunlight). All other variables did not explain variation in prey capture. We conclude that only sun exposure has an important effect on orb-web spiders’ prey capture efficiency in A. argentata. We additionally argue that silk decorations have different functions depending on the habitat and the species.

     

Precopulatory mate assessment in relation to body size in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris: avoidance of dangerous liaisons?

In the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris L., mating occurs on the soil surface, but partners remain anchored in their burrow andmating is preceded by repeated mutual burrow visits betweenneighbors. This study focuses on body size as one possibletrait that earthworms may assess during these burrow visits.Size-related mate choice is predicted to result in size-assortativemating, which we found in one field sample (n = 90 pairs),but not in a second (n = 102). We discovered that when mates separate, one of them can be pulled out of its burrow. Thiswas more likely for small individuals or those mating acrosswide distances. In a subsequent greenhouse experiment, we allowedfocal individuals to mate with two neighbors of different sizes.Relative size affected neither mating rate nor primary preference,but focals mated sooner with the same-sized neighbor than witha differently sized one. Small focals visited large neighborsmore often than small ones. We conclude that size influencesmate choice as well as the outcome of mating and discuss howthe "tug-of-war" that ends a mating contributes to this result.Precopulatory visits may involve assessment as well as enticementto lure the partner closer to the individual's own burrow,in order to minimize the risk when mating with a partner thatis large or far away.     

The effects of predation risk from crab spiders on bee foraging behavior

Recent studies have suggested that top–down effects ofpredation on plant–pollinator interactions may not be,as previously thought, rare and/or weak. In this paper, we explorethe effects of crab spiders (Araneae: Thomisidae) on the behaviorof 2 species of bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) foraging for nectarand pollen on 3 different plant species in central Portugal.In 2 experiments, we found that the eusocial bee Apis melliferawas significantly less likely to inspect and accept a floweror inflorescence if it harbored a spider. In contrast, we foundno such effects of spiders on the behavior of the solitary beeEucera notata. Further experiments showed that the effects ofenvironmental cues associated with predators on flower visitationby A. mellifera were detectable even when no spider was presentat the moment a flower was encountered. Such indirect effectswere only identified, however, in bees foraging on 1 of 2 plantspecies studied. In a final experiment, A. mellifera was shownto respond negatively to the presence of the corpses of conspecificsglued to flowers. This suggests that prey corpses left exposedon petals or bracts by spiders provide an obvious cue that beescan use to avoid predators. These results add to a growing bodyof evidence that plant–pollinator interactions are notimmune to the effects of predation and suggest that the strengthof such effects vary both between and within species.     

Spiders provide important resources for an endangered lizard

Conservation management requires knowledge of how a target species interacts with other species. Some relatively common species can modify the environment to the advantage of rarer, endangered species. Thus, local enhancement of those common species can positively influence remaining populations of the rarer species. The endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard Tiliqua adelaidensis inhabits burrows that are constructed by lycosid and mygalomorph spiders. We recorded 490 burrows in a 1 ha plot at the end of one season, and then observed at regular intervals the formation and loss of burrows, and the changes in occupancy status of each burrow over the next season. We found spiders in 94% of all newly constructed burrows and deduced that they had built the burrows. We found no evidence that lizards dug new burrows or deepened existing burrows. The numbers of both lizards and spiders in the burrows declined over the spring and summer, with lizards moving from their burrows more often early in the season than later. However, there was no strong trend for lizards to replace spiders in burrows. In fact, lizards tended to occupy deeper burrows than spiders, suggesting little negative impact of lizards on spiders. However, spiders had a positive impact on lizards by providing the refuge burrows central for lizard survival. Although lizards readily accept artificial burrows, long-term conservation for the lizards must include viable spider populations to maintain a supply of suitable burrow refuges.     

Function of being colorful in web spiders: attracting prey or camouflaging oneself?

Bright body colorations of orb-weaving spiders have been hypothesizedto be attractive to insects and thus function to increase foragingsuccess. However, the color signals of these spiders are alsoconsidered to be similar to those of the vegetation background,and thus the colorations function to camouflage the spiders.In this study, we evaluated these 2 hypotheses by field experimentsand by quantifying the spiders' visibility to insects. We firstcompared the insect interception rates of orbs constructed bythe orchid spider, Leucauge magnifica, with and without thespider. Orbs with spiders intercepted significantly more insectsthan orbs without. Such a result supported the prey attractionbut not the camouflaging hypothesis. We then tested whetherbright body colorations were responsible for L. magnifica'sattractiveness to insects by manipulating the spiders' colorsignals with paint. Alteration of color signals significantlyreduced L. magnifica's insect interception and consumption rates,indicating that these spiders' bright body parts were attractiveto insects. Congruent with the finding of field manipulationswere the color contrasts of various body parts of these spiders.When viewed against the vegetation background, the green bodyparts were lower, but the bright parts were significantly higherthan the discrimination threshold. Results of this study thusprovide direct evidence that bright body colorations of orbweavers function as visual lures to attract insects.     

The effect of model choice on phylogenetic inference using mitochondrial sequence data: lessons from the scorpions

Chelicerates are a diverse group of arthropods, with around 65,000 described species occupying a wide range of habitats. Many phylogenies describing the relationships between the various chelicerate orders have been proposed. While some relationships are widely accepted, others remain contentious. To increase the taxonomic sampling of species available for phylogenetic study based on mitochondrial genomes we produced the nearly complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the scorpion Mesobuthus gibbosus. Mitochondrial gene order in M. gibbosus largely mirrors that in Limulus polyphemus but tRNA secondary structures are truncated. A recent analysis argued that independent reversal of mitochondrial genome strand-bias in several groups of arthropods, including spiders and scorpions, could compromise phylogenetic reconstruction and proposed an evolutionary model that excludes mutational events caused by strand-bias (Neutral Transitions Excluded, NTE). An arthropod dataset of six mitochondrial genes, when analyzed under NTE, yields strong support for scorpions as sister taxon to the rest of Chelicerata. We investigated the robustness of this result by exploring the effect of adding additional chelicerate genes and taxa and comparing the phylogenies obtained under different models. We find evidence that (1) placement of scorpions arising at the base of the Chelicerata is an artifact of model mis-specification and scorpions are strongly supported as basal arachnids and (2) an expanded chelicerate dataset finds support for several proposed interordinal relationships (ticks plus mites [Acari] and spiders plus whip spiders plus whip scorpions [Araneae+Pedipalpi]). Mitochondrial sequence data are subject to systematic bias that is positively misleading for evolutionary inference and thus extreme methodological care must be taken when using them to infer phylogenies.     

The aggregating behaviour of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Argiope radon</Emphasis>, with special reference to web decorations

The existence of aggregations in taxa that are normally solitary poses questions regarding the costs and benefits of group living. Most orb-web spiders are solitary and are aggressive to conspecifics, but a few species aggregate in large numbers. These spiders benefit by enhancing the prey interception potential, but also suffer costs of increased predation and parasitism. In this study, we report on the natural history characteristics of the orb-web spider, Argiope radon, which not only lives in aggregations but also builds silk decorations. Our results show that A. radon aggregates facultatively and that the main benefit of aggregation that we could identify is enhanced mating potential. We also show that decorations built by A. radon are highly visible to both model prey and predator, and suggest that solitary individuals with longer and more frequent decorations may offset the foraging advantage of being in aggregations.     

Foraging strategies in orb-spinning spiders: Ambient light and silk decorations in Argiope aetherea Walckenaer (Araneae: Araneoidea)

Abstract Many species of orb-spinning spiders construct silk decorations within the structure of the orb-web. The evolutionary significance of these decorations is poorly understood, but the silk decorations of many species reflect UV light, suggesting that they may function to attract insects. In these species, relatively more silk decoration may be required under dimmer light conditions in order to maintain a constant UV-reflecting signal, and hence level of insect attraction. We investigated experimentally whether the orb-spinning spider Argiope aetherea adjusts the amount of silk decoration added to the web according to light conditions. Consistent with the prey-attracting function, we found that spiders adjusted the quantity of silk decoration to their webs, adding more silk decoration when the web was located in dim light rather than bright light.     

The Construction of Turrets for Nest Ventilation in the Grass-Cutting Ant Atta vollenweideri: Import and Assembly of Building Materials

Besides the excavation of underground nest chambers, Atta vollenweideri grass-cutting ants build ventilation turrets on the topmost openings of their huge nests. Turret construction was studied in a laboratory colony, addressing the question whether turrets are simply heaps of disposed soil, or result from the import and a particular spatial arrangement of materials. The colony was daily offered different building materials, i.e., clay, coarse and fine sands, which workers collected and deposited around a nest opening to construct a turret. After 10 days, the spatial arrangement of the different building materials, offered either simultaneously or consecutively in independent experiments, was characterized via thin sections and micromorphological analysis of the turret’s walls. Workers did not select particular materials to be imported for turret building, but were selective in their spatial distribution and assembly into the turret structure. Particular types of microstructures were observed depending on the available materials, such as simple piles of sands, porous fabrics only composed of clay pellets, or fabrics with clay and sands combined. Turrets were very dynamic structures: while most imported materials were initially piled up at the shortest distance from the source, a marked subsequent material redistribution occurred as the turret grew, resulting in a new, mixed structure. Material re-assembly was particular evident when clay and sands were offered consecutively: a remarkable tendency to construct microstructures combining both materials was observed, i.e., clays were mobilized and included in sandy walls, and sands were intercalated in much compact clay walls. Irrespective of the materials used, walls showed a marked regular porosity in the range 50–60%, with the exception of secondary galleries that occasionally permeated the turret structure, which evinced lower porosity and therefore a more compact microstructure. Ants appeared to respond to local variations in the structural stability of the construction, since clay coatings smoothed and reinforced the surface of unstable sandy gallery walls. The observed building responses appear to be aimed at the maintenance of a porous yet mechanically-stable structure. The attained turret porosity may represent a compromise between high structural stability and low construction costs because of savings in material import.     

黄鼠洞干蚤和宿主密度的年间动态关系

根据内蒙古自治区正镶白旗乌宁巴图苏木1981～1993年达乌尔黄鼠Citellus dauriCUS密度和洞干蚤指数监测资料进行分析,得到如下结果。共检洞干蚤9种,其中方形黄鼠蚤蒙古亚种Citellophilus tesquorum mongolicus (66.0%)为优势蚤种,光亮额蚤Frontopsylla lu-culenta(23.6%)为次优势蚤种,阿巴盖新蚤Neopsylla abagaitui和二齿新蚤N。Bidentatifor-mis为常见种,余为少见种。鼠密度与洞干蚤指数关系显著(PPP<0.05),关系为洞干蚤指数=0.2709+0.0504体蚤指数。洞干蚤和巢蚤指数的关系是显著的(P<0.07),关系为洞干蚤指数＝0.27652+0.00348巢蚤指数。三种蚤指数之间有如下近似 关系：巢蚤指数：体蚤指数：洞干蚤指数：100：10：1。     

长爪沙鼠寄生蚤指数和气象因子关系的研究

根据内蒙古自治区土默特平原1983～1985年长爪沙鼠 Meriones unguiculatus巢蚤、体蚤、洞干蚤指数和6项气象资料进行分析,得到如下结果。① 共获蚤11种, 其中秃病蚤蒙冀亚种Nosopsyllus laeviceps kuzenkovi(67.50%)是优势种, 二齿新蚤Neopsylla bidentatiformis(22.65%)为次优势种。② 3种蚤指数的均值差异显著(P<0.0001)。③ 体蚤与洞干蚤指数相关显著(P<0.05), 模型为(洞干蚤指数)=0.0049+0.0248(体蚤指数), 巢蚤与体蚤、巢蚤与洞干蚤指数的相关不显著(P>0.25)。④ 沙鼠密度与3种蚤指数的相关均不显著(P>0.10)。⑤ 在巢蚤中,月温度是影响巢秃病蚤唯一的气象因子(P<0.05)。⑥ 分别求出鼠体的秃病蚤和同形客蚤指名亚种Xenopsylla conformis conformis与气象因子的最优回归子集(P<0.003、P<0.05), 洞干的秃病蚤和二齿新蚤与气象因子的最优回归子集(P<0.0007、P<0.01), 月蒸发量是影响秃病蚤的最重要因子。⑦ 春季与冬季、夏季与冬季巢蚤指数差异显著(P<0.05); 春季与冬季、夏季与冬季体蚤指数差异显著(P<0.05); 春季与冬季、夏季与秋季、夏季与冬季洞干蚤指数差异显著(P<0.05)。     

长爪沙鼠体蚤和巢蚤数量研究

1982～1996年对内蒙古自治区鄂托克前旗长爪沙鼠Meriones unguiculatus体蚤和巢蚤的数量进行了调查和分析,得到如下结果。获体蚤15种,同型客蚤指名亚种Xenopsylla conformis conformls (50.8%) 和秃病蚤蒙冀亚种Nosopsyllus laveiceps kuzenkovi (40.6%)为优势种。获巢蚤15种,秃病蚤蒙冀亚种(74.3%)为优势种;盔状新蚤Neopsylla galea (11.9%)和叶状切唇蚤突高亚种Coptopsyllus lamelliferardua (8.1%)为常见种。年巢蚤指数的均值是年体蚤指数的6.92倍。体蚤指数与巢蚤指数不相关(P>0,05),体染蚤率与巢染蚤率不相关(P>0.05)。不同年份 的体蚤和巢蚤多样性比较稳定。连续两年春季或秋季秃病蚤巢蚤指数大于10只后,可能流行动物鼠疫。