Automatically selected top science news story of the day ( ? )
Follow us with Twitter - Facebook
Next update in ¼ hour

Spider preys on male fireflies blinded by false love

Cosmos Magazine - Thu 22 Aug 24

Araneus ventricosus orb-weaving spider wrapping a male firefly (Abscondita terminalis). Credit: Xinhua Fu New evidence suggests an orb-weaving spider, Araneus ventricosus, somehow manipulates ...

Spider uses male fireflies as glowing bait to catch more prey

The Independent - Tue 20 Aug 24

Researchers suspect there may be similar yet undiscovered examples of animals tricking prey to trap more of same species

Spiders use fireflies as flashing lures to catch more prey

Newscientist - Mon 19 Aug 24

Male fireflies caught in an orb-weaver spider’s web start flashing in an unusual pattern, a deadly deception that seems to attract additional victims for the spider

Spiders force male fireflies to flash like females—luring more males to their death

Science - Mon 19 Aug 24

Study marks the first time scientists have observed this kind of “manipulative” behavior in spiders

Spiders hack fireflies to attract more food to their webs

New Atlas - Mon 19 Aug 24

Some species have an incredible knack for hacking others to get what they want. Scientists have now discovered a fascinating new example – some spiders have been seen manipulating fireflies’ ...

This Spider Uses a Light Show to Trick Eager Male Fireflies Into Its Web

New York Times - Mon 19 Aug 24

In China, the arachnids seem to somehow manipulate the flashing of a caught male firefly to resemble a female’s come-hither signal.

Spider exploits firefly's flashing signals to lure more prey

Phys.org - Mon 19 Aug 24

Fireflies rely on flashing signals to communicate to other fireflies using light-emitting lanterns on their abdomens. In fireflies of the species Abscondita terminalis, males make multi-pulse ...

Spider exploits firefly's flashing signals to lure more prey, ScienceDaily - Mon 19 Aug 24
Spider exploits firefly’s flashing signals to lure more prey, Scienmag - Mon 19 Aug 24
Spider exploits firefly’s flashing signals to lure more prey, Eurekalert - Mon 19 Aug 24

These Spiders Use Captured Fireflies as Flashing Lures to Snare More Prey

Smithsonian Magazine - Wed 21 Aug 24

A new study suggests orb-weaver spiders manipulate trapped male fireflies to emit female-like signals, which in turn draws more males into the web

Spiders may be hacking firefly signals to trap dinner

Popular Science - Mon 19 Aug 24

As the insect sentinels of summer, fireflies use their glowing bellies to communicate to other fireflies. Males from the species Abscondita terminalis use multi-pulse flashes with both of their ...

Untangling the web: How to handle spider bites in pets

Eurekalert - Mon 26 Aug 24

Venomous spiders, like the black widow or brown recluse, prefer dark, cool places. They build less-pretty webs in dark corners, so owners should not give pets unsupervised access to such areas. ...