Chemical Attraction of Kleptoparasitic Flies to Heteropteran Insects Caught
Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 88, pp. 8194-8197, September 1991 Ecology Chemical attraction of kleptoparasitic flies to heteropteran insects caught by orb-weaving spiders* (miichild flies/Hemiptera/defensive secretion/rans-2-hexenal/kairomone) THOMAS EISNERtt, MARIA EISNERt, AND MARK DEYRUP§ tSection of Neurobiology and Behavior, Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2702; and §Archbold Biological Station, P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, FL 33852 Contributed by Thomas Eisner, June 24, 1991 ABSTRACT Insects of the heteropteran families Pen- MATERIALS AND METHODS tatomidae (stink bugs) and Coreidae (squash bugs), when being was Laboratory observa- eaten by the orb-weaving spider Nephila attract flies The study done in January 1989. clavipes, were at Archbold Biological Station, Lake the Milichiidae. The flies on the bugs and, tions made the of family aggregate Florida. Tests with the spiders were at Highlands in the spider's meal. Stink bugs and Placid, as kleptoparasites, share Hammock State Park, Sebring, Florida, a preserved site squash bugs typically eject defensive sprays when attacked; live oak and cabbage palm, where Nephila only densely shaded by they do so when caught by Nephila, but the spray webs were abundant. m mally affects the spider. Evidence is presented indictiug Feeding of Nephila. Presentation of prey to the spiders that it is the spray of the bugs that attracts milichilds to the involved flipping individual insects from vials directly into spider's catch. the web and monitoring the course of events. Over the years this technique has been used by one of us (T.E.) to test for Spiders are slow eaters.
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