Communal rearing induces high predatory capacity in a solitary wolf spider and its potential in pest control

Pardosa pseudoannulata is a solitary wolf spider and it is a major predator of pests such as Nilaparvata lugens in rice fields. To date, whether the early rearing experience of solitary spiders influence their predation ability is still unclear. In this study, the solitary spiders were reared communally or individually. The results showed that the survival rates of the communal-reared and individual-reared spiders were similar, but communal-reared spiders were significantly more voracious. Field experiment further demonstrated that release of communal-reared spiders could significantly reduce the number of the pest Nilaparvata lugens.

拟环纹豹蛛（Pardosa pseudoannulata）是一种独居型狼蛛，同时也是稻田中褐飞虱（Nilaparvata lugens）等害虫的主要捕食者。截至目前，独居蜘蛛的早期饲养经历是否会影响其捕食能力仍不明确。本研究中将供试的拟环纹豹蛛分别进行群居饲养与单独饲养。结果显示，群居饲养与单独饲养的蜘蛛存活率并无显著差异，但群居饲养的蜘蛛捕食量显著更高。田间试验进一步证实，释放群居饲养的拟环纹豹蛛可显著降低稻田中褐飞虱的种群数量。