Relationships among food and contact signals in experimental group-living young of tegenaria atrica

Relationships between the quantity of diet, and group vs. individual rearing toward ontogenesis on degree of cannibalism and cuticular lipid profile of young Tegenaria atrica Araneae, Agelenidae were studied. Ad libitum diet increases the development rate and decreases cannibalism between conspecifics compared to a reduced diet. Individually reared young on the two diets showed no quantitative differences in cuticular lipid profile, but differences were observed in individual vs. group rearing modes. The ad libitum-fed grouped young spiders had notably increased quantities of palmitic acid, 13,17-,11,17-, and 9,17-dimethylhentriacontane, methyl oleate, and n-heptatriacontane over the reduced diet, cannibalistic group. Arch. Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.