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Animalia >Arthropoda >Insecta >Hymenoptera >Ichneumonidae >Reclinervellus >

Reclinervellus nielseni (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) manipulates web-building behaviour of its host spider Cyclosa argenteoalba (Araneae, Araneidae) to change the intrinsic orb web into a simple and durable cocoon web.

In this observation, the manipulated spider started retrieving the spiral for capturing at 18:40 and shuttled along the frame threads again and again to reinforce. After that, the spider randomly weaved the radii radiating from the hub to stabilize the central part of the web. Finally, the spider decorated some radii with fibrous threads to advertise the cocoon web. After all processes of manipulation, the spider got back to the hub and stopped moving. The parasitoid larva then sucked the spider dry and made a cocoon on the stabilized hub to pupate.

This cocoon web was finished in about five hours. The video was speeded up by 50 times and scenes during which the spider is inactive were cut.

The form of the cocoon web and specific fibrous thread decorations are very similar to resting web that the unparasitized spider builds before moulting. In fact, specific decorating behaviours were observed to be identical. The parasitoid is thus thought to take advantage of preprogrammed web-building behaviours for its cocoon protection.

Takasuka, K., T. Yasui, T. Ishigami, k. Nakata, R. Matsumoto, K. Ikeda & K. Maeto (2015) Host manipulation by an ichneumonid spider-ectoparasitoid that takes advantage of preprogrammed web-building behaviours for pupal protection. Journal of Experimental Biology 218: 2326-2332.

(Data No.momo130617rn01b)

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