Role of Heteropoda Venotoria in Household Pest Control : A comparative study

Spiders are one of the most abundant predatory groups in the terrestrial ecosystems. They feed on insects, some other arthropods and play important role in pest control. They have unique habitat and they live in almost all the environments. Spiders serve as buffers that limit the initial exponential growth of prey populations. The giant crab spider Heteropoda venotoria is an important predator of cockroaches. The spider is often found associated with human habitations. This spider is highly valued in tropical countries because they capture and feed on cockroaches and other insect pests. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prey preference of Heteropoda and to compare the predatory efficiency of Heteropoda with other five spider species to determine the role of Heteropoda to control household insect pests. Spiders were collected from agricultural and residential areas of Tezpur revenue circle of Sonitpur District. Five different spider species Heteropoda, Plexippus, Pardosa, Argiope, Neoscona, Crossopriza were collected in separate container to the laboratory. The predatory behavior of all the spiders were recorded whether they capture, kill or ignore the pest . Heteropoda were also observed in their natural habitat during night hours to record their natural prey items. The present study showed that Heteropoda preyed on a wide range of insect pests as well as other spider species. Among the preys Cockroach was found the most preferred prey and Crossopriza was found the second preferred host of Heteropoda. Among the five spider species Heteropoda was found the most effective predator of insect pests.