Acta Arachnologica
Online ISSN : 1880-7852
Print ISSN : 0001-5202
ISSN-L : 0001-5202
When camouflage fails: Predation of a huntsman spider Damastes sp. (Araneae: Sparassidae) on a stick insect Antongilia sp. (Phasmatodea: Bacillidae: Antongiliinae) from Madagascar
João Gonçalo SoutinhoHenrique CoutoFranco AndreoneAngelica CrottiniGonçalo M. Rosa
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2018 Volume 67 Issue 1 Pages 31-33

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Abstract

Although laboratory trials suggest that stick insects (Phasmatodea) are a highly palatable prey group for spiders, field observations confirming this hypothesis are very rare. We report on a predatory event involving a huntsman spider of the genus Damastes (Araneae: Sparassidae) on a stick insect of the genus Antongilia (Bacillidae: Antongiliinae) from Madagascar. Despite the anti-predator adaptations that characterise this insect group (e.g. the cryptic camouflage) the stick insect was recognized and overwhelmed by the sparassid spider.

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