Drinking to the last drop! Record of honeydew consumption by a ghost spider (Araneae: Anyphaenidae) in an urban environment in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

This study documents, for the first time, the consumption of honeydew by a spider of the genus Aysha (Anyphaenidae) in an urban environment in southeastern Brazil. Spiders are generalist predators, but some species exploit non-prey food sources, such as nectar and honeydew. The observation took place on Cinnamomum verum, an exotic tree frequently infested by the leafhopper Aethalion reticulatum, which produces honeydew consumed by various insects. A female Aysha was observed ingesting honeydew droplets trapped on silk threads of a web belonging to an unknown spider located below a colony of A. reticulatum, over three consecutive nights, suggesting that this food resource may represent a supplementary diet, which may benefit the spiders particularly during periods of prey scarcity. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of this resource in spider feeding ecology.