A new study has documented a unique behaviour in nocturnal spiders: they keep fireflies in their webs to lure victims, checking on the insects regularly for an hour.
Experiments showed that the presence of bioluminescent beetles in leaf-rolling spider webs increased prey numbers, indicating the strategic use of insects as live bait.
“Our observations reveal a new type of interaction where firefly signals, originally intended to find mates, become a hunting tool for spiders,” said lead author Yi-Ming Zuo of Tunghai University, who specializes in studying spider behavior.
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Scientists have discovered that web-weaving spiders use the glow of fireflies to improve their hunting efficiency.
“This discovery changes our understanding of prey acquisition strategies in sedentary nocturnal predators by revealing an unexpected complexity in their interactions,” Zuo added.
Observations of leaf-rolling spiders (Psechrus clavis) creating low-lying webs revealed clusters of winter fireflies (Diaphanes lampyroides). To test the hypothesis, the scientists placed LEDs in the webs that imitated the glow of insects, leaving some of the webs empty.
Data published August 28 in the Journal of Animal Ecology showed a three-fold increase in catch in illuminated nets, with the number of fireflies attracted exceeding control levels by 10 times.
The glow of a firefly in its web serves as a living beacon for the spider to attract victims.
Leaf-weaving spiders, which live in the Asian subtropics, usually wait for their prey in the dark. Video footage has shown that the spiders eat the moths they catch immediately, while they keep fireflies for up to an hour – a period comparable to the glow period of the females of these insects.
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The predominance of males among captured fireflies, according to scientists, may be explained by the mistaken perception of their glow as a mating signal.
Unlike bioluminescent predators like anglerfish, these spiders have learned to exploit the communication signals of their prey.
“The differences in prey handling indicate the spiders' ability to recognize species through specific signals, including bioluminescence,” Zuo explained.
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Hannah OsborneSocial Links Editor
Hannah Osborne is the head of the nature and animals section at Live Science. She previously worked as a science editor at Newsweek and the International Business Times UK. She holds an MA in journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London.
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