Spiders are thought to be strict predators [1]. We describe a novel exception: Bagheera kiplingi, a Neotropical jumping spider (Salticidae) that exploits a well-studied ant–plant mutualism, is predominantly herbivorous. From behavioral field observations and stable-isotope analyses, we show that the main diet of this host-specific spider comprises specialized leaf tips (Beltian food bodies; Figure 1A) from Vachellia spp. ant-acacias (formerly Acacia spp.), structures traded for protection in the plant's coevolved mutualism with Pseudomyrmex spp. ants that inhabit its hollow thorns [2]. This is the first report of a spider that feeds primarily and deliberately on plants.See also reporting in (UK) Daily Telegraph and NPR. Excerpt from BBC News (includes video).
Running the gauntletBagheera kiplingi looks like a spider, but maybe it gets bullied by the other insect eating spiders. It would be worth finding out which species are above it in the food chain.
The jumping arachnid, which is 5-6mm long, has developed a taste for the tips of the acacia plants - known as Beltian bodies - which are packed full of protein.
But to reach this leafy fare, the spider has to evade the attention of ants, which live in the hollow spines of the tree.
The ants and acacia trees have co-evolved to form a mutually beneficial relationship: the aggressive ants protect the trees from predators, swarming to attack any invaders; and in return for acting as bodyguards, the ants get to gorge on the acacias' Beltian bodies themselves.
But the crafty Bagheera kiplingi has found a way to exploit this symbiotic relationship.
One of the study's authors, Professor Robert Curry, from Villanova University, Pennsylvania, told BBC News: "The spiders basically dodge the ants.
"The spiders live on the plants - but way out on the tips of the old leaves, where the ants don't spend a lot of time, because there isn't any food on those leaves."
But when they get hungry, the spiders head to the newer leaves, and get ready to run the ant gauntlet.
Professor Curry said: "And they wait for an opening - they watch the ants move around, and they watch to see that there are not any ants in the local area that they are going after.
"And then they zip in and grab one of these Beltian bodies and then clip it off, hold it in their mouths and run away.
"And then they retreat to one of the undefended parts of the plant to eat it."
Like other species of jumping spider, Bagheera kiplingi has keen eyesight, is especially fast and agile and is thought to have good cognitive skills, which allows it to "hunt" down this plant food.
Fierce competition
The spider's herbivorous diet was first discovered in Costa Rica in 2001 by Eric Olsen from Brandeis University, and was then independently observed again in 2007 by Christopher Meehan, at that time an undergraduate student at Villanova University.
The team then collaborated to describe the spider for the first time in this Current Biology paper.
Professor Curry said he was extremely surprised when he found out about its unusual behaviour.
He said: "This is the only spider we know that deliberately only goes after plants."
While some spiders will occasionally supplement their diet with a little nectar or pollen, Bagheera kiplingi's diet is almost completely vegetarian - although occasionally topped up with a little ant larvae at times.
Professor Curry said there were numerous reasons why this spider might have turned away from meaty meals.
He said: "Competition in the tropics is pretty fierce so there are always advantages to doing what someone else isn't already doing.
"They are jumping spiders, so they don't build a web to catch food, so they have to catch their prey through pursuit. And the Beltian bodies are not moving - they are stuck - so it is a very predictable food supply."
Acacias also produce leaves throughout the year - even through the dry season - which would make them attractive.
And Professor Curry added: "Because the plants are protected by ants, they have none of their own chemical defences that other plants do."
What the RC Tarantula is all about...
Arachnophobics – be warned! The Remote Control Tarantula is out there stalking innocent victims, hungrily feasting on the terrified screams of it's human prey.
Forget the warm-hearted heroine in Charlotte's Web – this hairy-legged hood is enough to make the skin crawl on a department store dummy. Or to put it into a spider lover's language "this is soooo cool!".
You control it from an inconspicuous distance with the palm-size remote control "egg". It's so realistic – people won't be able to tell the difference until you're up very close (which most people won't want to be). Those furry legs crawl in a disturbingly spider-esque fashion – creeping, stalking and scurrying across any smooth flat surface. And if that isn't unsettling enough, just wait until it's eyes glow red!
Those who love the thought of owning a tarantula – but are forbidden for some reason – will be in heaven! All you have to do is choose a name – how about Incy-Wincy, Aragog, Miss Muffet or "The Devil's Spawn" (that last one is courtesy of our accountant, who obviously has issues).
Perhaps those with severe arachnophobia shouldn't completely discount owning their own RC Tarantula – it might actually be a great way of desensitising yourself, before you face the real thing.
Order your RC Tarantula now – if not to help you spin your wicked web of practical jokes, then at least to help our accountant whose been standing on his desk for 3 weeks.
Product Specification
The RC Tarantula is approximately 17 x 15 x 4.5 cm in size. It requires 2 x AAA batteries (not included) and the remote operates on 2 x AA batteries (not included).
The remote control spider moves in any direction and features independent leg movement to provide real crawling action. It also has light up eyes and a realistic furry texture.
Recommended for ages 6 and above.
Giant web creates bug buzz
WILLS POINT –- If you hate creepy-crawlies, you might want to avoid Lake Tawakoni State Park where a 200-yard stretch along a nature trail has been blanketed by a sprawling spider web that has engulfed seven large trees, dozens of bushes and even the weedy ground.
But if you hate mosquitoes, you might just love this bizarre web.
"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said park superintendent Donna Garde. "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."
There have been heated Internet discussions among experts that the webs were constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together, or perhaps a mass dispersal where the arachnids spin webs to spread out from one other. Either way, it's generating a lot of bug buzz.
"I've been hearing from entomologists from Ohio, Kansas, British Columbia -- all over the place," said Mike Quinn, a Texas Parks and Wildlife invertebrate biologist who first posted photos of the web on the Web. But there is little consensus about what sparked the phenomenon or even the type of spider responsible. Parks officials say similar but smaller webs have sprouted along another trail.
"From what I'm hearing it could be a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Herbert A. "Joe" Pase, a Texas Forest Service entomologist. "It's very, very unusual."
Park officials say they have encountered mixed reactions to the web from visitors.
"Some can't wait to see it while others don't want go anywhere near it," said Trisha Brian, a park volunteer. "It's definitely not for everyone but I'm so fascinated by it that I come down to look at it every day. Every time I come by, there's something new."
But one Texas spider expert was having trouble mustering excitement about the giant web.
John Jackman, a professor and extension entomologist for Texas A&M University and author of A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas, said he receives similar reports every couple of years.
"There are a lot of folks that don't realize spiders do that," Jackman said. "Until we get some samples sent to us we really won't know what species of spider we're talking about."
Garde, the park superintendent, just wishes the entomologists would check out the spider web in person instead of arguing about it over the Internet.
"I invite them all to please come out take a look," he said. "If you want to know what it is, why don't you come out and see it firsthand? Somebody needs to come out that's an expert. I would love to see some entomology intern come out and study this."
Park officials say similar but smaller cobwebs have sprouted up along another trail. Rangers say they expect that the giant web will stick around until fall when the spiders start dying off. Unfortunately, it probably won't last until Oct. 31.
"It would make a good Halloween set, wouldn't it?" said park ranger Freddie Gowin, who discovered the giant cobweb while mowing about a month ago. "But I don't think you could pay me enough money to run through all of those webs."
Bill Hanna, 817-390-7698
Tawakoni bracing for onslaught of spidermania
Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park are bracing for an onslaught of spidermania this holiday weekend.
The attention comes after the discovery of giant spider webs at the park, first reported by the Star-Telegram.
"We may have to post some guards along the trail to protect the spider webs this weekend," said Trisha Brian, a park volunteer. "We don't want them getting trampled."
On Thursday, park officials were coping with a media onslaught from local television stations and from around the country.
"We've heard from Santa Barbara, Calif., and Panama City, Fla. –- we've even heard from National Geographic," Brian said.
The spider webs, which were first seen in early August at the park about 50 miles east of Dallas, are the subject of debate among entomologists. No samples have been sent to universities.
Unfortunately, heavy rains Wednesday night knocked down a portion of the web.
"Those who haven't seen it before are saying it's still impressive," Brian said. "Our campground is going to be full this weekend so we're expecting to be pretty busy."
But park officials aren't complaining.
"Anything that promotes Texas Parks and Wildlife parks is a good thing," Brian said. "We need all of the attention we can get."
Bill Hanna, 817-390-7698
What: Fried spider.
Where: Cambodia.
What is it: An arachnid derived from a species of tarantula called "a-ping". Some people say the habit of eating these creatures may have come about from years of desperation during Khmer Rouge rule when food was in short supply.
How it is prepared: The spiders are tossed in a mixture of MSG, sugar and salt. Crushed garlic is fried in oil until fragrant then the spiders are added and fried alongside the garlic until the legs are almost completely stiff, by which time the contents of the abdomen are not so runny.
The taste is not particularly strong; it's more a textural contrast between a crispy exterior and soft centre. While there is not all that much flesh on the legs, the head and body have a soft, delicate white meat inside. The abdomen, however, is not for the faint-hearted. Inside is a brown paste that is thought to be a heady mixture of organs, eggs or excrement.
A mountain of fried spiders - tarantulas - basted in oil and garlic and fried until the legs are almost completely stiff.
Photo: AFP
Chasing the Chicken-Eating SpiderUm, even I won't leave one of those inside the house.
In NATURE's DEEP JUNGLE: MONSTERS OF THE FOREST, spider expert Martin Nicholas travels to South America's Amazon in search of a spider known as the chicken-eating spider. He heard from a friend about a giant spider that can kill a hen, and he wants to see if these tall tales are true. With the help of a tiny "spider cam" that can see down spider holes, Nicholas comes face-to-face with a huge spider (possibly new to science) that is nearly a foot across and could easily eat a chicken. NATURE recently spoke with Nicholas at his home in Great Britain.
How did you get involved in spider hunting?
A chicken-eating spider with young. Photo by Martin Nicholas
Martin Nicholas: I've always been interested in spiders. When I grew up outside of London, the other kids were pulling the legs off insects, but I was the one feeding flies to spiders and studying their behavior. It just grew on me.
But you are not a full-time spider researcher.
No, I sell commercial water treatment plants for a living. Once or twice a year I get out for an expedition, to see something new. I've been to Vietnam, South America, all over. Every time I go out, I learn something new. I've even discovered a couple of new species ... one is a small, brown, stripey tarantula that builds the most incredible tube webs. It is going to be named after me.
How did you get interested in the chicken-eating spider?
It started a few years back with a letter from a friend in Peru who built power plants. He heard this story of a chicken-eating spider. I love those kinds of stories, they are irresistible. So I had to go to Peru and see if it was true.
The spider cam allowed you to see some remarkable behavior, including some young tarantulas in the same burrow with what appeared to be a parent. ...
Yes, there were some real surprises. Seeing the big mama tarantula with the young was remarkable. Most tarantulas are in no way gregarious. In fact, they often cannibalize their own young. So seeing that was very unusual. But it may make sense. It looks like when they go out at night as a group, they can catch and kill larger prey by working together. We also discovered that those spiders appeared to be keeping a pet. There was a little frog that lived down in the hole with the spiders. It may offer some sort of service to spiders, like sweeping up ants that might bother the spiders.
You believe that mother spider was about 10 inches across. How big are the biggest tarantulas?
I believe the record is 11.8 inches, held by the Goliath spider of Venezuela.
Is the chicken-eating spider a new species?
We don't know yet. I would like to get it properly identified. There are two or three other large black tarantulas that live in the area.
Where would you like to go spider hunting next?
Central Africa. That's my next big spider project. The logistics are very difficult, but there are potentially several kinds of giant spiders living in the region. One that was 11.5 inches across once walked into a British fort a long time ago, but it has never been seen again. Perhaps it was a freak of nature, but maybe not.
Do you keep spiders as pets?
Oh yes. I live in a big converted chapel, and they've got one whole end of a hall. I keep, breed, and photograph dozens of species. I always say keeping and feeding 500 tarantulas is cheaper than keeping a single dog!
