[Odonata-l] Jumping spiders using exuviae for "homes"

[Fred SaintOurs]

Tim, 
in 10 years experience collecting exuviae, I have come to the conclusion that nearly every one has at least one juvie spider inside. Often I find juvenile Dolomedes, and occasionally a tetragnathid or agalenid, but most frequently it's a small araneid that has taken up lodging and spun a web inside the skin. Several years ago an ex-girlfriend brought a few exuviae home from the Pantanal for my collection, but didn't think to drop them in alcohol before leaving the country. I was horrified when I opened the container and several South American spiders crawled out and started dispersing across my worktable only a few feet from my bed! 

FS

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ylightfoot at aol.com 
  To: odonata-l at listhost.ups.edu 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:38 PM
  Subject: [Odonata-l] Jumping spiders using exuviae for "homes"


  Hello folks:

  While collecting libellulid exuviae left in abundance in sedges, grasses, etc., along a marshy backwater of the American River near my home in the past few weeks, I have encountered two instances of a salticid using a cast skin as a roost/nest.  In the past I have occasionally found small spiderlings crawling around in/on exuviae, but the current case appears to be of a particular salticid species finding exuviae to its liking as residential dwellings.  I believe the species in question is Sassacus (=Metaphidippus) vitis, though I have yet to get this confirmed by a salticid expert (I have one live specimen, along with his exuvial abode, in a vial at present).  This same species appears to be a common inhabitant of marshy plants (e.g., yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus), sedges, etc.) bordering the riverine lagoons hereabouts.

  I'm curious to know if anyone has any additional data on this particular association or the association of any other salticid species with exuviae.

  Cheers,

  Tim Manolis


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