The thermal biology of Geolycosa godeffroyi and other burrow inhabiting Lycosidae (Araneae) in Australia.

Using both field and laboratory data a detailed examination of behavioural thermoregulation is presented for Geolycosa godeffroyi (Koch), a burrow inhabiting Australian wolf spider; comparative data are given for Schizocosa leuckartii (Thorell), Venatrix fuscus (Hogg), Lycosa speciosa Koch, and two undescribed species of Lycosa. Egg sac and spider body temperatures were recorded either by implanted thermocouples or biotelemetry. The burrows permitted the spiders access to a wide range of temperature throughout the day but the spiders maintained temperatures above the upper limit of this range except in the middle of the day in summer. In winter the burrows protected the spiders from extreme cold. G. godeffroyi thermoregulated throughout the year and could achieve temperatures of 38°C when the global radiation exceeded about 260 mW cm-2 d-1. The activity regimes deduced from temperature recording were in accord with those derived using field actographs and photographic recording. The spiders thermoregulated in a manner similar to that used by behaviourally thermoregulating lizards and did so whenever conditions were suitable. They maintained temperatures between 32 and 36°C but the preferred temperature was reduced by lack of food or water, in egg sacs or females carrying egg sacs and in mature males to about 30°C. The data do not support the concept of a refractory zone but suggest two or more set points required for specific physiological or ecological purposes.