A Spider That Eats Mosquitoes

spider eats mosquito

A spider that eats mosquitoes is a common sight in nature. In the East African continent, the jumping spider, Evarcha culicivora, often captures female mosquitoes that are bloated with a blood meal. It prefers to feed on engorged mosquitoes over smaller prey.

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Paracyrba wanlessi

Paracyrba wanlessi is a species of spider that eats mosquitoes and larvae. The species is known for its preference of eating mosquito larvae over other types of aquatic prey. The species does not distinguish between culicine and anopheline mosquitoes in its diet.

Paracyrba wanlessi is a jumping spider from Southeast Asia that lives in the hollow internodes of fallen bamboo. It preys on mosquitoes and other insects in search of blood. Unlike many other species of spiders, it does not seem to be selective in choosing its prey. It prefers mosquitoes in or away from water and does not seem to care about their age.

When observed in the wild, P. wanlessi prefers mosquitoes in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Interestingly, when studied in laboratory conditions, it tended to choose mosquito adults in the water rather than those in the soil.

Evarcha culicivora

It is not entirely clear why the spider Evarcha culicivora primarily feeds on mosquitoes, but it is known that it prefers female mosquitoes that have recently fed on blood. It has also been found to distinguish its prey from other animals by sight and smell alone. The spider is the first known predator to select its prey based on recent feeding. In addition to feeding directly on mosquito blood, this spider also indirectly feeds on vertebrate blood.

The spider has been raised in cages with a mesh screen, where it is kept from predators. In these cages, the spider was allowed to feed on blood-fed female mosquitoes and lake flies. The spiders also ate sugar-fed male mosquitoes, but they preferred blood-fed females over conspecific male mosquitoes.

Predacious mosquitoes

During a study, researchers found that a species of spider called P. wanlessi prefers mosquitoes over other types of prey. Both terrestrial and aquatic species of mosquitoes were consumed by the spiders. Interestingly, the spiders with no experience of predation on mosquitoes preferred aquatic mosquitoes more than those that lived on land.

Evarcha culicivora, a jumping spider from East Africa, is known to feed on blood-carrying mosquitoes. Under a microscope, the predator can be seen feeding on the insects. Female mosquitoes have special mouth parts that are specifically designed for feeding, while spiders do not have these parts.

The spider has a special preference for blood-fed female mosquitoes. It can identify its prey by sight and odor. It is one of the few predators in the world that selects its prey according to their recent diet. Despite its preference for mosquitoes, the spider is known to feed indirectly on the blood of vertebrates.

Salticid spiders

In the genus Salticidae, spiders feed on various insects, including mosquitoes. They have eyes with exceptional spatial acuity and a complex visual system, making them an exceptional predator. Some species, such as the East African salticid Evarcha culicivora, are unusual in their prey preferences. This species has an unusual mating strategy, which involves both sexes.

This spider primarily feeds on female mosquitoes and midges. Its preferred prey are female mosquitoes that have recently fed on blood. It can identify female mosquitoes by smell and sight alone. The spider is particularly attracted to smaller female mosquitoes.

Prey preferences

Predation rates of spiders eating mosquito varied greatly across species. Female spiders were significantly more successful at catching mosquitoes than male spiders. The observed predation rates were positively correlated with mosquito density, but this effect was small. These high rates of predation indicate that spiders may be a valuable biological control agent.

A spider known as Evarcha culicivora prefers to feed on female mosquitoes that have just recently had a blood meal. It can also identify female mosquitoes by smell. This enables it to select its prey based on a range of factors, including size and shape.

This discovery could help us understand the prey preferences of spiders that eat mosquito. For example, spiders that eat mosquitoes are more likely to target those with bright red abdomens. These red abdomens are indicative of recently fed mosquitoes. To investigate this, researchers provided red-dyed sugar water to mosquitoes with the intention of simulating a recent blood meal. Likewise, grey-dyed sugar water represented mosquitoes that have not yet eaten a blood meal. This finding suggests that spiders prefer mosquitoes that have recently fed, and can provide insight into the best strategies to control mosquitoes.