Tropical spiders of the genus Cyclosa construct sham “spiders” from wreckage to frighten away their predators.(Image credit: Richard Kirby)ShareShare by:
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Fresh research indicates that diminutive tropical spiders dwelling in the Philippines and the Peruvian Amazon fashion substantial, arachnid-resembling counterfeits in their webs, intended to daunt predators.
These oversized spurious spiders comprise silk, vegetative fragments, and deceased, separated prey. A study detailed in the Nov. 6 issue of the journal Ecology and Evolution reveals that some imitations are basic, while others closely replicate a spider’s form.
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“They go beyond merely adorning their webs — they painstakingly assemble debris, the remains of prey, and silk into a structure that surpasses their own dimensions and unmistakably mirrors the outline of a larger, threatening spider,” remarked George Olah, the study’s principal author and a conservation geneticist at the Australian National University, in a released statement.
Differing from other orb weavers that fashion silken refuges within their webs, these two Cyclosa spiders expend their time, vigor, and provisions crafting these counterfeits. This suggests that these fakes transcend being merely a peculiar biological occurrence, as noted by study co-author Lawrence Reeves, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Medical Entomology Laboratory, in the statement.
“It exemplifies a fundamental evolutionary negotiation in the spider realm,” Reeves stated.
Researchers have long been aware of Cyclosa spiders’ bizarre conduct; however, the current study represents the inaugural formal documentation and elucidation of this decoy-building trait.
Olah conveyed that the spiders transform their webs into “deceptive stages” to repel potential assailants.
These decoys are anticipated to intimidate avians, lizards, and various natural predators, deterring their approach. They could also furnish camouflage for the diminutive Cyclosa spiders, which share coloration with their constructs, thus enabling them to conceal themselves amidst the plant matter and remains of their prey.
The investigators chronicled a spectrum of instances showcasing spurious spider decoys in Cyclosa webs.
The study suggests that these counterfeits may provide a defense against predators that is just as effective as the lairs constructed by other orb weavers, clarifying why the spiders allocate their energies to their creation. Upon the emergence of predators near the webs, Cyclosa spiders ensconced within the decoys convulse their abdomens, inducing vibrations in the spurious spiders, thereby rendering them seemingly animated.
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The researchers noted in the study that the spiders engage in this behavior continuously. Regarding select observations from the Peruvian Amazon in 2022, they stated, “Upon closer approach, the spider leaped from the web to the ground,” appending that the arachnids then came back to their webs upon the dissipation of the perceived threat.
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As per a video featuring Juan Carlos Yatto, a nature interpreter in Peru’s Tambopata National Reserve who collaborated with the study’s authors, these decoys may also constitute secure havens for Cyclosa spiders to deposit their ova. By constructing a solitary strand, the spiders mobilize their web’s components to fresh locations, using the strand to convey their eggs alongside the waste and bodily fragments utilized in their decoy. Yatto posited that, in this context, the dismantled decoy could serve to obscure the eggs during transit.
The investigators documented in the study that the construction of decoys could additionally entice prey and bolster spiderwebs against inclement conditions. Olah stressed that additional inquiry is needed to fully grasp these varied advantages.
The documentary series “The Secret Lives of Animals” features Cyclosa spiders alongside their remarkably embellished webs.
Spider quiz: Test your web of knowledge
Sascha PareSocial Links NavigationStaff writer
Sascha is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe. Besides writing, she enjoys playing tennis, bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems.
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World’s biggest spiderweb discovered inside ‘Sulfur Cave’ with 111,000 arachnids living in pitch black