BEH 3668 Video.mov (37.9 MB)
Video to BEH 3668
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posted on 2021-02-25, 07:13 authored by Fernando G. Soley, Rafael Lucas Rodríguez, Gerlinde Höbel, William G. EberhardWhen the bug entered the web, the
spider ran to it and wrapped its head, antennae, and some legs (including its raptorial
forelegs) with silk. The spider retreated momentarily, then renewed the attack.
At this point the bug oriented one of its long hindlegs and repeatedly tapped
toward the spider in a forceful way; one of these movements contacted (i.e., ‘kicked’)
the leg of the spider, and caused the spider to retreat. As the
spider retreated, the bug continued flexing its hind leg. Less than
two minutes later, the spider attacked again while the bug was attempting to
groom itself free of the entanglement. This time, the bug placed an untangled foreleg on the ground, and used it to pivot slightly
to align itself facing partially away from the spider, and then delivered a
single, strong tap with the same hind leg. This second kick was more precise, and
involved only one leg thrust to strike the spider.