Conspicuous stripes on prey capture attention and reduce attacks by foraging jumping spiders

Abstract

Many animals avoid predation using aposematic displays that pair toxic/dangerous defences with conspicuous achromatic warning patterns, such as high-contrast stripes. To understand how these prey defences work, we need to understand the decision-making of visual predators. Here we gave two species of jumping spiders ( Phidippus regius and Habronattus trimaculatus ) choice tests using live termites that had their back patterns manipulated using paper capes (solid white, solid black, striped). For P. regius, black and striped termites were quicker to capture attention. Yet despite this increased attention, striped termites were attacked at lower rates than either white or black. This suggests that the termite's contrast with the background elicits attention, but the internal striped body patterning reduces attacks. Results from tests with H. trimaculatus were qualitatively similar but did not meet the threshold for statistical significance. Additional exploratory analyses suggest that attention to and aversion to stripes is at least partially innate and provide further insight into how decision-making played out during trials. Because of their rich diversity (over 6500 species) that includes variation in natural history, toxin susceptibility and degree of colour vision, jumping spiders are well suited to test broad generalizations about how and why aposematic displays work.