The wise, misleading nature of Amyciaea albomaculata
Do not let your eyes fool you, this is not an ant, but a deceptive spider that mimics the Green Tree Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) which are their food Commonly known as Green-ant Mimicking Spider, Amyciaea albomaculata (Araneae- Thomisidae) is an ant mimic spider native to Australia and New Guinea, whose disguise not only mimics the shape and color of the ants (visual mimicry), they also have false eye spots on their abdomen and wave their first pair of legs in the air, apparently mimicking the movements of an ant’s antenna.
In this case the mimicry is not only a strategy for the spider to get their food, but at the same time is a defensive strategy. Bird predators avoid this spider because they see it as a Green Tree Ant, which is a fierce biter and stinger. So, the ants are easily caught as they seem to accept the spider as one of them - probably because the spider can mimic the ants’ chemical scent signals (chemical mimicry). Having made its catch, the spider drops off on a silk thread so that it can eat its meal in safety.
Scientifically named Viciria praemandibularis (Salticidae), this jumping spider is, by obvious reasons, commonly known as Wide-Jawed Viciria, and can be found in Singapore and Sulawesi.
As you can see in the pictures, this female Wide-jawed viciria is caring her eggs. In the Salticidae spiders maternal care of eggs and recently hatched juveniles appears to be widespread. Salticids spin silken eggsacs and stay with these, presumably guarding them. Exactly what salticid females guard against and how they guard the eggs is unclear, but the maternal female could probably deter many egg predators and parasitoids.
[ID: Three pictures of a small, robust bodied bird standing on leaf litter on the forest floor. It has a glossy black body and tail, chestnut colored wings, yellow legs, red eyes, and a red beak. End ID]
i always feel so silly following someone after reblogging their post or smth like yeahi liked ur post that much…yeah i like all the rest of them too…sorry……
the asian emerald dove is a member of the pigeon & dove family found throughout portions of southeast asia. this bird has a fairly meek demeanor, and travels the forest floor in search of fruit quietly; they are often found in pairs or as single birds, unusual for pigeons, which are often flock birds. the sexes are similar, but females are more brown in coloration; males have a gray crown along with a white bar running along the top of the wing. they feed on fruits, seeds, and sometimes insects. clutch size for this species is small; only two eggs are laid in a bare stick nest.
Our most devastating fatal error as a society was making it normal to hate and fear bugs because when I say “hey, your yard should not be a barren wasteland that cannot support life” people are like “but what if there’s a bug” yes. yes that’s the life
this planet is for bugs. bugs are the dominant life form here. bugs invented society and farming. bugs are essential to the survival of every other life form. they are the foundation of the whole food chain. they aerate the soil, clean up the dead things, and make fruits and berries come to be. look, look at this fruit. it exists because a bug pollinated a flower. a bug did this for you.
