Observation of a Semi-Aquatic Spider Attack: An Overlooked Fish Predator in a Well-Studied Ecosystem?

Abstract

We describe here a noteworthy spider encounter that took place on the bank of the Ramdeen Stream in Trinidad's Arima Valley (10°41'32"N; 61°17'36"W) on 23 August, 2014. This stream forms part of one of the most intensively-studied freshwater ecosystems in the tropics; for more than four decades international researchers have been visiting this valley to discover more about the ecology and evolution of the fishes that it supports - primarily the Trinidadian guppy Poecilia reticulata and the killifish Rivulus hartii (recently revised as Anablepsoides hartii). This unrivalled body of research has greatly expanded our understanding of natural selection, evolution and community ecology (Magurran 2005).