Y. Hironaka and H. Abé
Nesting patterns of the Japanese foliage spider Cheiracanthium japonicum (Araneae: Miturgidae).
Number: 284, Pages: 1 - 12
A female of the Japanese foliage spider Cheiracanthium japonicum lays her eggs in her breeding nest and guards them. The nesting patterns on the spatial distributions of breeding nests of this spider in Hokkaido and Honshu in Japan are analyzed on the basis of statistical and mathematical models. Analyses using Morisita's Id index, modified K-function and L-function showed that C. japonicum builds a breeding nest on a plant at a specific site regardless of the density of nests, suggesting that it is crucial for C. japonicum to select the physical conditions for nest building and a female and her juveniles don't strongly compete.