Very little attention has been paid to the diet of zodariid spiders so far.
Out of more than 60 genera we have information only on few genera. Some of them are known to be polyphagous, while others are specialised termite or ant eaters. The first aim of this project will be to gather new data on diet specialisation of two primitive genera of Zodariidae, namely Amphiledorus and Selamia. The other aim of this project will be to investigate prey specialisation in juveniles, males and females of ant-eating Zodarion spiders.
It is expected that males and females select different ant prey as a result of trophic dimorphism and that they may even use kleptobiosis or cooperation in the prey capture. Obtained data are expected to have important implications for understanding the evolution of prey specialisation within Zodariidae and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in spiders.

Publications