FIRST PREDATION RECORD BY SPINOCTENUS SP. (ARANEAE, CTENIDAE) ON PRISTIMANTIS KICHWARUM ELMER & CANNATELLA, 2008 (ANURA, CRAUGASTORIDAE) NEAR THE ILOCULIN-LLANGANATES RESERVE, ECUADOR

Understanding species interactions is essential for determining various ecological characteristics. Numerous studies on frog predation by spiders show that spiders are often opportunistic and generalist predators, capable of preying on a wide variety of species. Predation events are most frequently documented in the Neotropics. This study provides evidence of the predation of Pristimantis kichwarum by a spider of the genus Spinoctenus (Ctenidae) near the Iloculin-Llanganates Reserve. Our findings contribute to the understanding of complex predator-prey dynamics within tropical food webs and highlight the importance of studying these interactions to improve knowledge of ecological dynamics and biodiversity conservation.