Relationship between escape speed and flight distance in a wolf spider, Hogna carolinensis (Walckenaer 1805)

The relationship between running speed and flight distance is an important one in terms of escape from predators, especially in species that may have multiple defensive strategies. In the wolf spider Hogna carolinensis, one important antipredator mechanism is flight. We examined the relationship between sprint speed and flight distance in wolf spiders by measuring sprint speed on a running track and, in a separate set of experiments with the same individual spiders, measured the distance at which they fled from an advancing model predator. Sprint speed was not significantly correlated with mass, size, or sex of the spiders. Sprint speed was positively correlated with flight distance. This correlation may be the result of a trade-off between two competing modes of antipredator mechanisms: escape and crypsis. In individuals with higher sprint speeds, escape may be the more advantageous option. Slower individuals may have a greater chance of surviving an encounter with a predator simply by remaining still and relying on crypsis.