Mechanics of the Prey Capture Technique of the South African Grassland Bolas Spider, Cladomelea akermani.

ABSTRACT: Spiders use various combinations of silks, adhesives, and behaviors to ensnare prey. One common but difficult-to-catch prey is moths. They easily escape typical orb-webs because their bodies are covered in tiny sacrificial scales that flake off when in contact with the web's adhesives. This defense is defeated by spiders of the sub-family of Cyrtarachninae-moth-catching specialists who combine changes in orb-web structure, predatory behavior, and chemistry of the aggregate glue placed in those webs. The most extreme changes in web structure are shown by the bolas spiders which create only one or two glue droplets at the end of a single thread. They prey on male moths by releasing pheromones to draw them close. Here, we confirm the hypothesis that the spinning behavior of the spider is dire

SUBMITTER: Diaz C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9785433 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature