COMMENSALISM BETWEEN RANZOVIUS MOERENS 
(REUTER) (HEMIPTERA: MIRIDAE) AND HOLOLENA 
CURTA (McCOOK) (ARANEIDA: AGELENIDAE) . 
By Richard M. Davis and Mercer P. Russell 1 
In the spring of 1966, small red mirids were observed inhabiting 
the webs of Hololena curta (McCook), one of the most common 
agelenid spiders in the Los Angeles area. The insects, identified as 
Ranzovius moerens (Reuter), could be found only on the webs in 
two hedges of mixed honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica , and trumpet 
flower, Clytostoma callistegiodes in San Marino, California. This 
was the first report of this insect being associated with spiders, and 
it is one of the few examples of spider-insect associations. 
These spiders are funnel-web builders, and their webs form plat- 
forms as they come out of the hedge. This horizontal sheet of silk 
narrows as it extends back into the hedge and forms a funnel-shaped 
tube of webbing up to 3 inches long which serves as the retreat of 
the spider where it waits for prey to enter the web. The main sheet 
of silk varies from a 1 X 2 inch platform to one of 8 X 8 inches, 
according to the maturity of the spider. These are generally three to 
six feet above the ground. The webs are composed entirely of dry 
silk, having no adhesive qualities like those of some other spiders. 
Some of the larger webs of this agelenid have one or two additional 
platforms under the main one, the spider going to any platform to 
capture prey. These webs are typical of agelenid spiders in bushes 
(Gertsch^ 1949), having a network of silk lines suspended above the 
platform in an irregular fashion which act as trip wires, causing 
insects that hit them to fall onto the platform of webbing. When the 
confused insect falls onto the platform, the spider rushes from its 
funnel to attack it. 
The spiders have been observed in the hedge all year round, with 
the young emerging in April and May. They are shy in the day, 
remaining in the funnel unless prey is in the web, but at night they 
are almost invariably seen out on the webs. 
The eggs of R. moerens were never observed, but, judging by the 
criteria of Davis (1955), the ovipositor with its saw-like teeth (Fig. 
1 A-B) is fully developed for placing them in plant tissue rather 
than on the web surfaces or on spider prey. 
department of Zoology, California State College, Los Angeles, California. 
Manuscript received by the editor May 23, 1969 
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