Research interests

• Arachnology
• Tropical biology
• Coexistence among arachnids
• Ecomorphology
• Ecophysiology
• Biogeography
• Rainforest canopies

 

 

 

Scientific projects

Being abundant and very diverse, arachnids are important but still understudied generalist arthropod predators, especially in the tropics. Every year many new species are described, yet little is known about their ecology and biogeography. My special interests concentrate on coexistence mechanisms among araneomorph wandering spiders, but also tarantulas (Theraphosidae) and scorpions. These arachnids do not use webs for prey capture. Field research on wandering spiders and scorpions is much more difficult to conduct than on the semi-sessile web spiders, because many species frequently change their hunting sites and cover large distances. They are often very agile and may easily escape when approached. These behavioural traits may cause difficulties especially in arboreal species since they hunt on tree trunks near the ground but also high up in the tree tops. Tarantulas on the other hand are often not very abundant and have rather secretive lifestyles, which makes them difficult to find and to study in the field. Methodological advantages of tarantulas, however, are the semi-sessile habits of many species and their longevity, which facilitate long-term field studies with individually marked spiders. Consequently there is much to learn about their natural history and ecology.

My diploma thesis dealt with general aspects of coexistence among wandering spiders. I investigated an assemblage formed by eight medium-sized to large species in a lowland rainforest of Reserva Biológica Tirimbina (RBT) on the Caribbean slope of Costa Rica. This assemblage consisted of three ecomorph classes defined by the hunting microhabitat preferences of their constituent species, their different abilities to adhere to smooth surfaces and some specific morphological traits such as different sets of adhesive hairs on the tarsi and metatarsi of the walking legs.

For my PhD project I will compare during a two-year survey at RBT the distribution of wandering spiders, tarantulas and scorpions from the ground to the upper forest canopy along vertical transects in relation to seasonal climate fluctuations. In order to assess these vertical distributions I will climb rainforest trees at night and measure the height of every encountered individual of my target taxa. The microclimate will be measured via data loggers. Furthermore I will examine the effects of anthropogenic habitat degradation on these arachnids and compare their evaporation rates as a means of pre-adaptation to habitat-specific climate. Another interesting aspect of coexistence is the use of the nests of leaf-cutter ants as day shelters by at least one wandering spider species. I will approach this phenomenon through a combination of ecological measurements, behavioural experiments and chemical analyses. Through my comprehensive research I expect to provide important contributions to the understanding of coexistence among generalist arthropod predators and the effects of man-made habitat degradation on tropical arachnids.

Publications

Lapinski W, Tschapka M (submitted) Habitat Use and Coexistence in an Assemblage of Neotropical Wandering Spiders.

Lapinski W, Tschapka M (2009) Erstnachweis von Brautgeschenken bei Trechalea sp. (Trechaleidae, Araneae) in Costa Rica. Arachne 14: 4 – 13

Lapinski W (2009). Psalmopoeus reduncus: Verstecktypen und Nutzung von Pflanzen als Mikrohabitat. Arachne 14: 24 – 44

Lapinski W (2008) Die Skorpione vom Río Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. Arachne 13: 4 – 17

Lapinski W (2006) Centruroides limbatus (POCOCK, 1898) im Terrarium.
Arachne 13: 4 – 12

Lapinski W (2003) Die Jagdspinnen der Gattung Cupiennius SIMON, 1891. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Arachnologischen Gesellschaft (DeArGe) 8: 9 – 30

Lapinski W,  Jäger P,  Salazar Rodríguez A-H (2002) Anaptomecus longiventris Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Sparassidae), a spider species new for Costa Rica.
Arachnologisches Magazin 10: 1 – 9

Lapinski W (2002) Sericopelma silvicola VALERIO, 1980 im Terrarium. Arachnologisches Magazin 10: 1 – 5

Lapinski W (2000) Naturbeobachtungen in Costa Rica. Arachnologisches Magazin 8: 1 – 9

Conference contributions

Lapinski W, Tschapka M (2009) Habitat Use and Coexistence in an Assemblage of
Neotropical Wandering Spiders. Poster presented at the Joint Annual Meeting: Society of Tropical Ecology (gtö) & Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) in
Marburg, Germany