script received 17 September 2007, revised 15 August 2008.
Helen M. Smith: The Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia. E-mail: email@example.com
Table 1.--Examples of "natural" (i.e., undisturbed) average lengths of web site residencies (days or nights) recorded for various orb web spider guilds or species (Ar = Araneidae, N 5 Nephilidae, Te = Tetragnathidae) and exemplars from the Agelenidae (Ag), Linyphiidae (L) and Theridiidae (Th). Entries based primarily on adult female spiders are in bold. Entries are ordered from shortest to longest mean residence time. Figures are calculated or extrapolated from a variety of formats given in the original cited studies. Explanatory notes: ([dagger]) Original figures are for web site tenacity (probability or percentage of spiders remaining per day, Enders 1973). Mean residence = 1 / 1 - prob. (wst). In Enders 1975, 1976 there are often two sets of figures, one set referring to individual spiders on certain nights, the second to gross pooled observations. Here only the latter kinds of figures are used, as these are generally in accord with the methodologies of other authors. # Mix of adults and juveniles. * Original figures are for mean days per residence. Original figures are for turn-over (probability or percentage of spiders leaving per day). Mean residence = 1 / prob. (turn over). ** No calculation made in original paper: extrapolated from figures in text and based on few actual spider movements. Mean length Species (Family ) of residency Reference or guild (days or nights) Orbweavers (Ar, Te, 2.2 to 2.4 * Janetos 1982a Uloboridae) Argiope aurantia Lucas 2.6 to 4.5 ([dagger]) Enders 1975 1833 (Ar) Argiope aurantia (Ar) 3.4 to 7.7 ([dagger]) Enders 1976 Tetragnatha elongata (Te) 3.8 * Smallwood 1993 Cyclosa argenteoalba (Ar) 4.3 ^ to 5.6 ^ Nakata & Ushimaru 2004 & 1999, respectively Sheetweb weavers (L) 4.8 to 5.0 * Janetos 1982a Argiope aurantia (Ar) 5.3 to 14.3 ([dagger]) Enders 1975 Micrathena gracilis 6.7 * to 8 * Hodge 1987b & (Walckenaer 1805) (Ar) a, respectively Argiope trifasciata 8.7 * McNett & (Forskal 1775) (Ar) Rypstra 1997 Nephila clavipes (N) 16 * Vollrath 1985 Cyclosa octotuberculata 16.9 ^ Nakata & (Ar) Ushimaru 2004 Latrodectus revivensis 17.9 * Lubin et al. (Th) 1993 Tetragnatha elongata (Te) 17.9 * ^ Gillespie & Caraco 1987 Cyclosa octotuberculata 26.3 ^ Nakata & (Ar) Ushimaru 2004 Latrodectus revivensis 44.1 * Lubin et al. (Th) 1993 Nephila clavipes (N) 58.8 ** Vollrath 1985 Agelena limbata Thorell 143 to infinity ^ Tanaka 1989 1897 (Ag) Species (Family ) Notes or guild Orbweavers (Ar, Te, 1978 and 1979; juvenile and sub- adult Uloboridae) Argiope aurantia Lucas June dates, 5th instar (from text) 1833 (Ar) Argiope aurantia (Ar) control regimes (two field experiments) # Tetragnatha elongata (Te) low density of spiders, prey-poor habitat Cyclosa argenteoalba (Ar) controls from separate field experiments Sheetweb weavers (L) 1978 and 1979; sub-adult and adult Argiope aurantia (Ar) August dates, probably subadult females, 8th to 9th instars Micrathena gracilis control figures from each experiment; (Walckenaer 1805) (Ar) informal longest residency estimate of "weeks" Argiope trifasciata control replicates (Forskal 1775) (Ar) Nephila clavipes (N) spiderlings in prey-poor habitat (enclosures) Cyclosa octotuberculata juveniles (probably subadult) (Ar) Latrodectus revivensis juveniles; probably affected by marking (Th) procedure Tetragnatha elongata (Te) low density of spiders, prey-poor habitat Cyclosa octotuberculata (Ar) Latrodectus revivensis probably affected by marking procedure (Th) Nephila clavipes (N) spiderlings in prey-rich habitat (enclosures). Longest recorded periods [greater than or equal to] 42 days Agelena limbata Thorell adult spiders did not relocate 1897 (Ag) Table 2.--The percentages of spiders which move on a seasonal basis, classified by spider size. A. Spiders beginning residency (moving in); B. Spiders ending residency (moving out). The number of spiders in size classes differs due to specimens which grow 