Author:
Allan Rachel A.,Elgar Mark A.
Abstract
The salticid spider Cosmophasis bitaeniata is a
myrmecophilic associate of the green tree ant,
Oecophylla smaragdina. The abundance of
C. bitaeniata on a tree or shrub is positively
correlated with the number of nests of O. smaragdina on
that vegetation. Experiments with captive spiders confirmed that the spiders
prey on the larvae of their highly territorial and aggressive ant host,
typically by removing the larvae from the mandibles of minor workers.
C. bitaeniata avoids direct contact with major workers
of O. smaragdina in daylight, but congeners elicited
higher activity levels of major workers than either nestmate workers or
C. bitaeniata. These data suggest
thatC. bitaeniata may be an exploitative chemical mimic
of its host.
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Cited by
32 articles.
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