Epallage fatime (Charp.) (Zygoptera: Euphaeidae) as prey of Argiope bruennichi (Scop.) (Araneae: Araneidae)

There are quite a few records of predation on dragonflies by spiders to be found in literature, e.g. P.S. CORBET (1962, A biology of dragonflies, Witherby, London), A.T. HASSAN (1977, Odonatologica 6: 1-5), A. KUMAR & M. PRASAD (1977, Odonatologica 6: 19- -20), R. RAM & M. PRASAD (1978, Notul. odonatol. 1: 25-26). Nevertheless, the main diet of spiders is composed of other arthropods (c.f. R.F. FOEL1X, 1979, Biologic der Spinnen, Thieme, Stuttgart). Being predators with high visual capacity, dragonflies are but seldom trapped in spiders' webs. CORBET (1962) pointed out that in areas highly infested with webs, diurnal odonates may display a modified flying behaviour and avoid resting in shaded sites where visibility is limited. The situation may be different when web-building Araneae accumulate in the vicinity or at the sites of emergence of Odonata. In these cases freshly emerged or tenera! adults may be entrapped in webs as been reported in several species (cf. KUMAR & PRASAD, 1977; RAM & PRASAD, 1978). Certain modes of behaviour of some species may also favour a predation by spiders (E. GONZÁLEZ SORIANO et al., 1982. Adv. Odonalol. I: 55-62). The following observations were made on a small brook (affluent of the Oront's river) in the Biqa Valley (Lebanon), north of Baalbek, in the morning of 6 July 1980. The small rivulet was overgrown with thistle shrubs (Carthamus sp.), reed ( Phragmites sp.) and Juncus sp. Numerous females of Argiope bruennichi had spun their vertically oriented cobwebs across the brook at regular intervals of about 5 m. In each of ten webs a single specimen of ¡ E. fatime was trapped. In most cases the dragonfly was preyed on by the spider. The victims were exclusively mature specimens, the bodies of males being coated extensively with whitish blue pruinosity. At the same locality exuviae of £ falime were found.