(1) Fake it ‘til you make it, spider-style

Biologists at Huazhong Agricultural University and National University of Singapore recently reported their fieldwork in Hubei province observing orb-weaving spiders that trap male fireflies and force them to change their flash to imitate female fireflies, luring more male fireflies to the spiderweb and peril. The scientists next need to study if this behaviour is intentional or incidental. Either way, it is clever strategy.

“Among tropical Asian fireflies of the species Abscondita terminalis, both males and females flash to find mates, but their flashes are not the same. Females make slow, single pulses with a sole “lantern” in their abdomen, whereas males flash in quick succession from dual abdominal lanterns…

“Both sexes should be easy prey for Araneus ventricosus, a nocturnal orb-weaving spider found in China. However, during his field trips to Wuhan, Xinhua Fu, a biologist at Huazhong Agricultural University, noted several webs with only male fireflies trapped in them. He wondered whether the arachnids were manipulating these captured males to attract more male prey.“*

* Basilio, H., “Spiders force male fireflies to flash like females - luring more males to their death,” Science (August 19 2024); https://www.science.org/content/article/spiders-force-male-fireflies-flash-females-luring-more-males-their-death

* Fu, X. et al, “Spiders manipulate and exploit bioluminescent signals of fireflies,” Current Biology, Vol 34, Issue 16, PR768-R769 (August 19, 2024), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.011; https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)00914-X