In the tropical habitats of southeastern Mexico and northwestern Costa Rica, where a certain species of ant protect acacia trees in return for shelter and food, their mutualistic relationship is exploited by an unexpected source.
A study published this Monday in the journal Current Biology reveals the first known vegetarian spider amongst an approximate 40,000 spider species. The Bagheera kiplingi, named in the 1800s after the panther character in Kipling's The Jungle Book, has managed a way to leap from thorn to thorn to eat the nutrient-rich buds the acacia trees produce to reward their mutualistic protective ants.
The spider uses its superb strategies to hunt on the plant while avoiding the highly aggressive ants.
Apparently, though the spiders occasionally snack on ant larvae, the bulk of their diet is the plant itself.
Notes:
Although I was unable to find the full article on the journal itself, I read the info related to it on the National Geographic webpage. The photograph is from the same source and was taken by Robert L. Curry.
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1 comment:
The spider photographed here is an adult female ^_^
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