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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

Published on: January 11, 2015

Fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders: a global pattern.

Martin Nyffeler¹, Bradley J Pusey²

¹Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

|June 19, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Semi-aquatic spiders globally prey on fish, a behavior observed across continents. These spiders, particularly from the Lycosoidea superfamily, capture fish larger than themselves, indicating fish are a significant food source.

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Last Updated: Apr 28, 2026

A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms

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Published on: January 11, 2015

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Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes

Published on: September 4, 2016

Area of Science:

Arachnology
Ichthyology
Behavioral Ecology

Background:

Semi-aquatic spiders are known predators in freshwater ecosystems.
Fish predation by invertebrates is less commonly documented than vertebrate predation.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and synthesize existing evidence of fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders.
To determine the geographic distribution, spider taxa involved, and prey characteristics of this predatory behavior.

Main Methods:

Literature review of over 80 documented incidences of fish predation by spiders.
Analysis of spider and prey species, geographic locations, and prey size relative to predator size.

Main Results:

Fish predation by semi-aquatic spiders is geographically widespread, occurring on all continents except Antarctica, and is more common in warmer regions.
Over a dozen spider species from multiple superfamilies (Lycosoidea, Ctenoidea, Corinnoidea) have been documented preying on fish, with Pisauridae spiders (Dolomedes, Nilus) being most frequent.
Spiders regularly capture fish larger than themselves (average 2.2x body length), suggesting fish are a nutritionally important prey item.

Conclusions:

The diversity of spider families engaging in fish predation is greater than previously recognized.
Fish represent a significant, albeit occasional, prey source for various semi-aquatic spider species globally.
This predatory behavior highlights complex predator-prey dynamics in aquatic and semi-aquatic environments.