4io 
Psyche 
[September-December 
since the number of prey that the spider can hold in its chelicerae 
during feeding is limited. 
As to the functions of the components of prey-wrapping, we sug- 
gest the following. The swathing silk serves to enclose the prey, a 
role that is not only important for holding multiple prey together, 
but which is also of value in holding together the pieces that often 
result from the process of ingesting a single prey item. This latter 
function may be one reason for the occurrence of additional bouts 
of wrapping during the course o'f feeding. The dragline may be 
entangled in the swathing band and serve to attach the prey package 
to the substratum via the attachment disks, although it seemed that 
the swathing band itself was connected to the attachment disks. 
Since attachment to the substratum seems to be of prime value in 
preventing loss of acquired food material, the re-anchoring that 
occurs in additional wrapping bouts during the course of feeding 
probably makes up for the breakage of lines that accompanies the 
physical and chemical processing of the prey by the feeding spider, 
and thus may be another reason for extra bouts of wrapping. 
The temporal pattern is one of providing multiple attachment 
points, along with swathing, during the early phase of each bout 
(while the prey is held in the chelicerae) and then devoting most 
of the remaining time to swathing (after the prey has been released 
from the chelicerae). The early phase (attachment) may be im- 
portant for effective wrapping, since it enables the spider to release 
the prey and pivot around it, pulling the swathing lines taut. 
Role of aciniform and other silk glands. — Comstock (1912) and 
others have described the aciniform glands of web-weaving spiders 
as the source of the swathing silk used for prey-wrapping, as well as 
the fine fibers of egg sacs. These glands are present in lycosids, but 
their function had remained unknown (Richter and Van der Kraan, 
1970). On the basis of histological data, Richter (1970a) suggested 
roles for the aciniform glands in lycosid spiders - — - in producing silk 
involved in molting, egg sac construction, and sperm web construction. 
Our data indicate that the aciniform glands also have one of the 
same functions in lycosids as they do in the web-weavers — produc- 
tion of swathing silk for wrapping prey. When the spigots for these 
glands were closed experimentally (by sealing the median and 
posterior spinnerets), wrapping behavior was ineffective. Such spiders 
pivoted, fixed attachment disks, and laid a dragline; however, no 
broad bands of silk were placed on the prey. Indeed, the several 
items of multiple prey were often pushed apart by the legs of the 
pivoting spider. 
