Biomaterial Database

Predation on Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) by Theridion rufipes (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Puerto Rico. 1998

I Fox

Department of Microbiology and Medical Zoology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00936-5067, USA.

Theridion rufipes Lucas was found in rearing cages of Aedes aegypti (L.) in the School of Medicine, San Juan, PR. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the spiders had a continuous existence in the cages and in the room outside the cages. A single spider eventually could eliminate all the mosquitoes in a cage. The behavior of the mosquitoes in the web was observed by isolating spiders individually in glass or plastic flasks. When a mosquito comes in contact with the beads of sticky silk on the web, it is immediately paralyzed before the spider approaches it. The instant immobilization without a struggle as well as other aspects of prey behavior suggest that there is a compound in the sticky webs that causes the paralysis. Analysis of this material might lead to the discovery of a new insecticide. Efforts to control dengue in Puerto Rico should not interfere with the natural enemies of the vector.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D011235	Predatory Behavior	Instinctual behavior pattern in which food is obtained by killing and consuming other species.	Predation,Behavior, Predatory,Predatory Behaviors
D011647	Puerto Rico	An island in the Greater Antilles in the West Indies. Its capital is San Juan. It is a self-governing commonwealth in union with the United States. It was discovered by Columbus in 1493 but no colonization was attempted until 1508. It belonged to Spain until ceded to the United States in 1898. It became a commonwealth with autonomy in internal affairs in 1952. Columbus named the island San Juan for St. John's Day, the Monday he arrived, and the bay Puerto Rico, rich harbor. The island became Puerto Rico officially in 1932. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p987 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p436)
D000330	Aedes	A genus of mosquitoes (CULICIDAE) frequently found in tropical and subtropical regions. YELLOW FEVER and DENGUE are two of the diseases that can be transmitted by species of this genus.	Aede
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013112	Spiders	Arthropods of the class ARACHNIDA, order Araneae. Except for mites and ticks, spiders constitute the largest order of arachnids, with approximately 37,000 species having been described. The majority of spiders are harmless, although some species can be regarded as moderately harmful since their bites can lead to quite severe local symptoms. (From Barnes, Invertebrate Zoology, 5th ed, p508; Smith, Insects and Other Arthropods of Medical Importance, 1973, pp424-430)	Spider