Salticidae: Diagnostic Drawings Library
by Jerzy Proszynski 2005
Pellenes on a shell a suspendedon thread
In memoriam the late Dr. Izabel Mikulska * who 50 years ago described curious behavior of a Pellenes making retreats and cocoons in empty snail shells, hosited on threads and suspended on grasses. Spider also jumped on insects flying by.
Copyright © and phot by Dr. Heiko Bellmann - kindly given for the purpose of displaying here
Below: specimens from St. Maria Navarese, Sardinia by Dr. Heiko Metzner, identified as Pellenes arcigerus.
male <===================> female
Original photographs from St. Maria Navarese, Sardinia by Dr. Heiko Metzner. To return to drawing click on photograph :
*Dr.
Izabela Mikulska was a Professor of Zoology at Nicolaus Copernicus University
in Torun, Poland. She described her observations in a paper:
Mikulska
I. 1961. Parental care in a rare spider Pellenes nigrociliata (L. Koch)
var. bilunulata Simon. Nature (London), 190: 365-366. Unfortunately I was
not able to confirm examination of her specimens. Assuming
her identification was correct I studied types of concerned species
(unfortuntely these were only females)
in a paper: Proszynski J. 1971e. Notes on systematics of Salticidae (Aranei).
I-VI. Annales zoologici, Warszawa, 28: : 244-248, f 33-44 [types of P. nigrociliatus
and P. bilunilatus]. Earlier Zimmermann observed hidding cocoons of Attus
nigrocillatus in twisted dry leaves suspended on threads, which was quoted
by L. Koch 1875.