Defence Mechanisms of the Orb-Weaving Spider Azilia vachoni (Araneae:Tetragnathidae)

Abstract

Azilia vachoni (di Caporiacco) is an orb-weaving spider in the family Tetragnathidae. This species exhibited six secondary defence mechanisms in response to disturbance: walking away from the source of disturbance; dropping off the web; shifting its position in the hub; shaking the web; moving its body in a circular motion while walking in the web; and retaliation. The most frequent of these responses was walking away from the source of disturbance, which was regarded as a moderate response to disturbance by the spider.