Seasonal variations in body melanism and size of the wolf spider Pardosa astrigera (Araneae: Lycosidae).

ABSTRACT: Variations in species morphology and life-history traits strongly correlate with geographic and climatic characteristics. Most studies on morphological variations in animals focus on ectotherms distributed on a large geographic scale across latitudinal and/or altitudinal gradient. However, the morphological variations of spiders living in the same habitats across different seasons have not been reported. In this study, we used the wolf spider, Pardosa astrigera, as a model to determine seasonal differences in adult body size, melanism, fecundity, and egg diameter both in the overwintering and the first generation for 2010 and 2016. The results showed that in 2010, both females and males of the overwintering generation were significantly darker than the first generation. Moreover, th

SUBMITTER: Yang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5916282 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature