AN EXAMINATION OF THE UTILITY OF THE PRECIPITIN TEST FOR EVALUATION OF ARTHROPOD PREDATOR–PREY RELATIONSHIPS

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Abstract
A serological technique, the precipitin test, was examined as a method for determining the feeding habits of the spider Pardosa sternalis Thorell (Araneae: Lycosidae). Radial immunodiffusion responses were significantly influenced by quantity of prey consumed, the time elapsed between spider feeding and serological analysis, and the temperature at which spiders were maintained after feeding. Maximum antigen detection time after feeding was 150–200 h for spiders fed varying quantities of prey and held at 25°C and over 400 h for those held at 4°C. Ouchterlony double diffusion tests indicated that although two congeneric prey species could be distinguished from one another, significant cross-reactivity between the two was observed. No such cross-reactivity occurred between more distantly related prey species. The feasibility for utilizing precipitin analyses in field studies of predator–prey relationships is discussed.