Spider uses male fireflies as glowing bait to catch more prey
The IndependentSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Researchers found that the spider, Araneus ventricosus, tricks male fireflies trapped in its web to mimic the flashes of females to catch other males. “The outcome is that the entrapped male fireflies broadcast false signals that lure more male fireflies into the web,” they wrote in a study published in the journal Current Biology. This robot was inspired by spider movements But the ensnared male fireflies seem to rarely lure other males when they are alone in the web without a spider. open image in gallery Spider with two ensnared male fireflies “Upon detecting the bioluminescent signals of ensnared male fireflies, the spider deploys a specialised prey-handling procedure involving repeated wrap-bite attacks,” he said.
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