Caption: A bolas spider draws male moths to her snare by releasing pheromones that mimic a female moth.
Nature entails a series of specialized relationships, from the resplendent quetzal's uncompromising need for wild avocado fruits in Central America, to the ability of adult bolas spiders to mimic the sex pheromones of moth prey, to the 11 species of native bees that only forage for pollen on goldenrod in New England, and the thousands of insect species that can develop only on particular plant lineages.
(A) bolas spider (B) golden orb spider (C) tarantula (D) ray spider 5.
Bolas spiders spin out a line with a sticky ball of silk dangling from the end.
Aggressive chemical mimicry by a
bolas spider. Science 198:1173-1175.
Weird Nature: A look at the bizarre techniques animals use to catch their prey, including the devious methods employed by the
bolas spider, which lures moths with a tantalising scent then lassoes them with a spool of silk.
These were the ones that covered the Black Widow Spider, the Funnel Web Spider, the
Bolas Spider, the Brown Recluse Spider, the Water Spider, the Nursery Web Spider, the Wolf Spider, the Purse Web Spider, the Orb Weaver Spider, the Crab Spider, and the Tarantula.
Ecology of a
bolas spider, Mastophora hutchinsoni: phenology, hunting tactics, and evidence for aggressive chemical mimicry.
During the day, the
bolas spider pretends to look like bird droppings on a leaf.
New results of field studies confirm that the
bolas spider first attracts a male moth by emitting odors reminiscent of the sex pheromones released by female moths.
Adult female
bolas spiders of North America also mimic insect sex pheromones, says Haynes.
The North American
bolas spiders of the genera Mastophora and Agatostichus.