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Field and laboratory observations of the feeding ecology (natural diet, prey capture success, and prey handling) of Oecobius maculatus Simon 1870 were combined in this study to reveal the level of trophic specialization by this species. Natural prey were investigated on the Croatian island of Brac. Field observations revealed that although spiders captured prey belonging to five invertebrate orders, the most frequently captured prey were ants, which were also the most abundant available prey in the locality. In laboratory experiments, O. maculatus spiders accepted three other prey types with a higher probability than ants and were significantly more efficient at capturing and handling flies than ants. These results suggest that this species is a stenophagous generalist with a narrow prey range due to ecological circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we present a detailed study of the natural history of Gluvia dorsalis (Latreille 1817), a representative of the family Daesiidae, the only solifuge species known to occur in southwestern Europe. We studied its distribution, habitat preference, circadian activity, seasonal occurrence, burrowing, predatory and post-mating behavior, prey, fecundity, ontogenesis, and sexual dimorphism. Ghana dorsalis occurs in lowlands across the entire Iberian Peninsula, preferring grassland or similar open-ground habitats with little summer rain. According to pitfall trap data, the species was active on the surface from May until the beginning of November. It is a nocturnal epigean predator, feeding principally on ants and spiders. However, under laboratory conditions, specimens captured and consumed a variety of arthropods. G. dorsalis seems to hide in underground burrows only when molting, overwintering, or laying eggs. Reproduction occurred in early summer, and females usually produced a single egg clutch containing, on average, 84 eggs, and died soon after. Our results indicate that the G. dorsalis is a biennial species. There was sexual dimorphism in several morphological structures that might be used for sex matching in juvenile instars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]