NEW OBSERVATIONS OF MATERNAL CARE 
EXHIBITED BY THE GREEN LYNX SPIDER, 
PEUCETIA VI RI DANS HENTZ (ARANEIDAiOXYOPIDAE) 1 
By John B. Randall 
Dept, of Entomology and Nematology 
University of Florida 
Gainesville, Florida 32611 
Introduction 
Maternal care of young is found in various families of spiders, 
most notably the lycosids (Whitcomb and Eason, 1964; Eason, 
1964, 1969; Rovner, 1973). Whitcomb and Eason (1964) reported 
the duration of egg incubation in wolf spiders could be monitored 
easily in the egg sac because lycosids will mend egg sacs that have 
been opened for inspection. 
An important facet of the maternal care by lycosid females is 
opening the egg sac to facilitate the emergence of young. The wolf 
spider rotates the egg sac with her legs and palps and cuts the seam 
of the egg sac with her chelicerae. Few wolf spider young have 
been observed to emerge from an egg sac without the aid of the 
female (Eason, 1964). Eason noted that female lycosids with young 
or with an egg sac from which spiderlings are due to emerge would 
“adopt” spiderlings of the same species from another egg sac. Un- 
mated females with no egg sac were not as receptive to such spider- 
lings. Eason successfully exchanged egg sacs between females. 
The Green Lynx Spider, Peucetia viridans Hentz, displays ma- 
ternal care behavior (Whitcomb, et a/., 1966). The female Green 
Lynx, like the lycosids, aids the emerging young by opening the 
egg sac along a seam with her chelicerae. Whitcomb noted that, 
unlike the lycosids, spiderlings of P. viridans will emerge from the 
egg sac without maternal aid. 
Descriptions of egg sac construction by P. viridans were reported 
by Whitcomb (1962) and Whitcomb, et al. (1966). The female usu- 
ally constructs the first egg sac 21-28 days after mating. Egg sac 
•Fla. Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 1036. 
Manuscript received by the editor March 8, 1978. 
286 
