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Relationships Between Morphology and Web Characteristics of Four Spider Species (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) in Malaysia
Authors: DZULHELMI MUHAMMAD NASIR, THARY GAZI GOH, ZULQARNAIN MOHAMED, NORMARASHID YUSOFF
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Approximately 34 tetragnathid species have been recorded in Malaysia. These orb-web spiders start building their first webs in early juvenile stages. The relationships between the morphology and the web characteristics of four tetragnathid species (Leucauge argentina, L. celebesiana, Mesida gemmea and Tylorida ventralis) were presented in this paper. The morphology was represented by eight morphological variables interpreted through first principal component analysis. The correlations between the morphology and each web characteristic were tested. The results showed that while there was a correlation between the principle component and the web size, there was no significant correlation in the number of spirals, number of radii, web-sites and webangles in the four tetragnathid species. Factors that affect web characteristics in different body sizes were likely influenced by
environmental factors. Changes of web characteristics could have corresponded to the condition at different habitats types. The information obtained from this study could provide a better insight for other arachnids study particularly in Malaysia.