Impact of dietary restriction on development, mating, and reproduction in the natural predator <i>Pardosa pseudoannulata</i>

Dietary restriction-influenced biological performance is found in many animal species. <i>Pardosa pseudoannulata</i> is a dominant spider species in agricultural fields and is important for controlling pests. In this study, three groups - a control group (CK group), a re-feeding group (RF group), and a dietary restriction group (RT group) - were used to explore development, mating, reproduction, and the expression levels of <i>Vg</i> (vitellogenin) and <i>VgR</i> (vitellogenin receptor) genes in the spider. The findings indicated that when subjected to dietary restriction, the carapace size, weight of the spiderlings, and weight of the adults exhibited a decrease. Furthermore, the preoviposition period and egg stage were observed to be prolonged, while the number of spiderlings decreased. It was also observed that re-feeding reduced cannibalism rates and extended the preoviposition period. Dietary restriction also affected the expression of the <i>Vg</i>-<i>3</i> gene in the spider. These results will contribute to the understanding of the impact of dietary restriction in predators of pest control, as well as provide a theoretical foundation for the artificial rearing and utilisation of the dominant spider in the field.