Phototactic Behavior of Nocturnal and Diurnal Spiders: Negative and Positive Phototaxes

Phototactic behaviors of the garden spider Araneus ventricosus and the jumping spiders Menemerus confusus and Hasarius adansoni were examined as they walked on a Y-maze globe. On both dark- and light-backgrounds, Araneus, a nocturnal web spider, tended to turn at Y-arms away from a test light given to the eyes (negative phototaxis), but Menemerus and Hasarius, diurnal hunting spiders, tended to turn toward the light (positive phototaxis). Araneus tended to turn transiently toward the light after the cessation of background illumination.