Data from: Risk assessment and the use of novel shortcuts in spatial detouring tasks in jumping spiders

Selection on individuals that incorporate risk to quickly and accurately
make a priori navigational assessments may lead to increased spatial
ability. Jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) are characterized by their
highly acute vision, which mediates many behaviors, including prey capture
and navigation. When moving to a specific goal (prey, nest, a potential
mate, etc.), salticids rely on visual cues and spatial memory to orient in
three-dimensional space. Salticid spatial ability has been studied in
homing and detour tasks, with Portia being considered one of the most
skillful genera in terms of spatial ability in the family. Commonly living
in complex environments, salticids are likely to encounter a wide variety
of routes that could lead to a goal, and, as selection favors individuals
that can accurately make assessments, they may be able to assess
alternative route distances to select the most efficient route. Here, we
tested whether two salticid species (Portia fimbriata and Trite planiceps)
can discriminate and assess between different available routes by their
length, and riskiness to escape from a stressful scenario. Results suggest
that while Portia is more likely to choose the easiest and shortest escape
routes, Trite is faster in both decision-making about which route to take,
and to escape. However, some individuals were able to use novel shortcuts
instead of the routes expected, with Portia containing a higher proportion
of shortcut-takers than Trite. These differences in spatial ability seem
to correspond with the environmental complexity inhabited by each species.