Convergence between a mosquito-eating predator's natural diet and its prey-choice behaviour.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Zoology
• Entomology

Background:

• The East African jumping spider, *Evarcha culicivora*, is known to feed on mosquitoes.
• Understanding predator specialization is crucial for ecological studies.
• Previous research has not fully detailed the prey preferences and classification system of *E. culicivora*.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize *Evarcha culicivora* as a stenophagic predator based on field feeding records.
• To investigate the prey-choice behavior and classification system of *E. culicivora* through laboratory experiments.
• To compare natural diet with experimentally determined prey preferences.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 1115 field feeding records of *E. culicivora*.
• Conducted laboratory prey-choice experiments with adult and juvenile spiders.
• Categorized prey into distinct groups, including different types of mosquitoes and midges.

Main Results:

• *E. culicivora* is highly stenophagic, with 94.5% of field prey being dipterans, dominated by mosquitoes (80.2%).
• Mosquito prey predominantly consisted of females (82.9%), with blood-carrying anopheline females being the most preferred prey in experiments.
• Experimental preferences showed convergence with natural diet but also revealed distinct prey categories and age-specific preference reversals.

Conclusions:

• *E. culicivora* possesses a specialized prey-classification system and a hierarchy of innate preferences.
• Characterizing predators as 'specialized' requires distinguishing between natural diet, relevant prey categories, and prey-choice behavior.
• The study highlights the complexity of predator-prey interactions and the nuanced feeding ecology of *E. culicivora*.