Leg autotomy in spiders from coastal wetlands of Kerala, India: pure historical past observations

ABSTRACT

Autotomy, or voluntary limb loss, is a widespread defence technique amongst arthropods, but its ecological prices and advantages in spiders stay poorly documented. Right here, we report pure historical past observations of leg autotomy in 32 species throughout eight households from 4 coastal wetlands in Kerala, India. Patterns of autotomy diverse extensively amongst species. Many spiders, together with members of the orb-weaving household Araneidae, shed legs on the coxa–trochanter joint, a mechanism that minimises haemolymph loss. Agile hunters resembling members of the households Salticidae and Oxyopidae ceaselessly autotomised a number of legs, with probably extreme penalties for locomotion. Notably, repeated instances within the leaping spider Carrhotus viduus (CL Koch) spotlight the trade-offs confronted by lively hunters that rely closely on agility. These findings spotlight the taxonomic breadth, ecological variation and practical penalties of autotomy in spiders, underscoring its adaptive worth whereas drawing consideration to its hidden prices. We advise that autotomy deserves systematic research as an ecologically important but ignored survival technique in arachnids. This research presents the primary broad field-based documentation of autotomy in spiders from Kerala, India, thereby extending present data of its ecological relevance in tropical habitats.

Particular due to Mathew M. Joseph (co-author) for sending me this full manuscript. 

Abraham, A., & Joseph, M. M. (2026). Leg autotomy in spiders from coastal wetlands of Kerala, India: pure historical past observations. Journal of Pure Historical past, 60(9–12), 541–546. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2026.2619579