Microhabitat Selection for Overwintering: Overwintering Conditions of Three Jumping Spiders (Pellenes tripunctatus, P. nigrociliatus, and Attulus penicillatus) Living in Terrestrial Shells in the Czech Republic

SIMPLE SUMMARY: We studied the overwintering ecologies of three endangered jumping spiders (Pellenes tripunctatus, Pellenes nigrociliatus, and Attulus penicillatus) in empty land-snail shells, specifically the microenvironmental factors determining their overwintering conditions, the presence of other species, and the presence of more than one specimen within a shell. We observed that the surrounding microhabitat was important for the occupancy of a shell during winter by a particular species. The females of P. tripunctatus and P. nigrociliatus preferred barren soil with the presence of pieces of herbs or grasses where they could hang the shell for egg laying, and as a retreat for the next generation. The interesting co-existence of several individuals of a single species was discussed. ABSTRACT: Taking the regular overwintering of spider species in land snail shells as a model, we studied environmental conditions affecting the choice of overwintering sites in three jumping spider species: Pellenes tripunctatus, Pellenes nigrociliatus, and Attulus penicillatus. The research was conducted at 11 steppe localities on calcareous bedrock with abundant empty shells (mainly Caucasotachea vindobonensis and Xerolenta obvia). We documented 889 shells and collected 186 of them, of which 113 were inhabited by 146 spider individuals (13 species). Our three focal species made up 81.5% of these. We found different environmental preferences between the sexes in P. tripunctatus and P. nigrociliatus. These females preferred shells with more vegetation nearby. In the case of P. tripunctatus, these were shells with a higher proportion of herbs, whereas P. nigrociliatus selected for a higher proportion of moss. In the immediate vicinity of the shells, environmental conditions did not differ significantly. We found insufficient A. penicillatus to determine any preferences. We also recorded six overwintering P. tripunctatus individuals in a single shell (in environmental conditions preferred by females), consisting of five females and one male, which indicated an unusual social behavior for these spider species.