Fast acrobatic maneuvers enable arboreal spiders to hunt dangerous prey.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 119(40): e2205942119, 2022 10 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36122198
ABSTRACT
Spiders, the most specious taxon of predators, have evolved an astounding range of predatory strategies, including group hunting, specialized silk traps, pheromone-loaded bolas, and aggressive mimicry. Spiders that hunt prey defended with behavioral, mechanical, or chemical means are under additional selection pressure to avoid injury and death. Ants are considered dangerous because they can harm or kill their predators, but some groups of spiders, such as the Theridiidae, have a very high diversification of ant-hunting species and strategies [J. Liu et al., Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 94, 658-675 (2016)]. Here, we provide detailed behavioral analyses of the highly acrobatic Australian ant-slayer spider, Euryopis umbilicata (Theridiidae), that captures much larger and defended Camponotus ants on vertical tree trunks. The hunting sequence consists of ritualized steps performed within split seconds, resulting in an exceptionally high prey capture success rate.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Formigas
/
Comportamento Predatório
/
Aranhas
Limite:
Animals
País/Região como assunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article