First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae

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  First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae Abstract Flies of the genus Megaselia Rondani, 1856 exhibit exceptional ecological flexibility, with certain species acting as facultative parasites. This study presents the first documented cases of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) infesting captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Ceratogyrus darlingi Pocock, 1897 and Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994) in terrarium settings. Our observations demonstrate that M . abdita colonise artificial habitats and exploit spider hosts similarly to Megaselia scalaris . Citation: Szymański, D.M., Szymański, D., Kłonowski, P. (2026). First record of Megaselia abdita (Schmitz, 1959) (Diptera: Phoridae) infestation in captive tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Dipteron, 42, 25-29. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23137389

Glossiness disrupts predator localisation of moving prey

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Glossiness disrupts predator localisation of moving prey

Summary

Movement is the “enemy of camouflage”, but most animals must move to find resources, such as mates, food and shelter. Therefore, strategies that disrupt predator localization or speed perception of moving prey can play a crucial role in prey survival. Shiny or glossy appearances, which are characterised by having a high degree of specular (mirror-like) reflection of incident light1, can disrupt predator hunting behaviours towards moving prey2. Different mechanisms may explain this effect3,4,5, but no study has attempted to identify the mechanisms that disrupt perception of moving glossy prey by non-human predators. Here, we present moving glossy green or grey targets to jumping spiders (Maratus griseus) and precisely document predator hunting behaviours using high speed videography. Jumping spiders were less precise at tracking glossy targets compared to control targets, suggesting glossiness may disrupt localisation of moving targets. Importantly for prey, jumping spider attack jumps were substantially less accurate towards glossy prey compared to control targets. These results were independent of underlying target colour, suggesting benefits of glossiness may be generalisable to differently coloured glossy animals. Our results indicate that glossiness, when paired with motion, creates an unpredictable target that is difficult for predators to localise, offering insights into the prevalence of dynamically coloured organisms in nature.
Franklin, A. M., Brown, M. R., & Willmott, N. J. (2024). Glossiness disrupts predator localisation of moving prey. Current Biology, 34(22), R1131-R1132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.09.066