HERE is one bug that lives up to its name. The assassin bug will stalk its victim on its home territory, or lure it away and eat it.
at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, placed assassin bugs on the webs of five species of spider and watched the drama unfold. She found that the bugs repeatedly either stalk or lure their prey (Journal of Ethology, ).
In stalking mode, the bugs creep towards their prey and tap the web with their forelegs up to five times before each step. They also bounce up and down at irregular intervals. The choppy pattern of vibrations creates a 鈥渟mokescreen鈥� that helps disguise the bug as it closes in on a hapless spider.
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To lure spiders into their clutches, the bugs pluck the silk threads with their forelegs for up to 20 minutes in a manner that closely resembles the behaviour of trapped prey, says Wignall. 鈥淭he spider thinks it鈥檚 getting a meal, but instead gets eaten itself.鈥�
The study also revealed that assassin bugs pause to tap their prey with their antennae before killing them. of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya says this strategy may hypnotise the spiders, reducing their ability to respond to the attack.
