Deceptive Tactics in the Animal Kingdom

<p>Current Biology (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Similar behavior in other animals (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mimicking the flashing pattern of female fireflies (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fireflies emitted only one flash when near the spiders. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fireflies were wrapped in a lighter layer of silk. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>East Asia (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They begin to emit two flashes again. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To determine if light visibility affects trapping (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Group with male fireflies and a spider present (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Single flashes of light (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Spiders use their venom to disrupt the firefly's ability to flash their light, likely by affecting oxygen delivery, causing the firefly to flash only once when threatened or stressed.

Fireflies flash a single time when a spider is nearby, suggesting they are stressed or experiencing a disruption in their normal flashing behavior. This could be caused by the spider's venom or other factors like perceived danger.

Research suggests that the spider's venom might affect the firefly's oxygen supply, which in turn disrupts their ability to flash their light normally. This is a possible explanation for the observed single flash behavior.

Scientists are investigating whether this single-flash behavior in fireflies when threatened by spiders is specific to certain regions or if it is a common practice across different firefly species.

While the spider's venom might be a primary cause of the disrupted flashing behavior, other factors like stress from the perceived danger could also contribute to the single-flash response in fireflies.

A type of spider that uses deceptive tactics to lure prey, specifically male fireflies, by manipulating their mating signals.

The specific type of firefly targeted by Araneus ventricosus spiders, which are deceived into mimicking female fireflies' single-flash signal.

The tactic used by the orb-weaver spider to manipulate male fireflies into emitting a single flash, thus mimicking the signal of a female firefly.

The unique signal used by female fireflies to attract males, consisting of a single flash of light.

The signal used by male fireflies to attract females, characterized by two consecutive flashes of light.

The spider's strategy of wrapping fireflies in a light layer of silk, allowing their flashes to remain visible while ensuring they remain trapped and continue emitting the deceptive signals.

The spider's behavior of wrapping other insects, like beetles, in a much thicker layer of silk compared to fireflies. It suggests a deliberate strategy focusing on fireflies.

The spider's ability to influence male fireflies to behave like females by producing single flashes, even after a brief recovery period outside the web, suggesting a possible chemical or physical manipulation.