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Spider killer nymph luring (Stenolemus bituberus) These tiny insects have modified forelegs and mouth parts and have two methods of preying upon spiders - stalking and luring. When stalking they slowly approach the spider, then tap on it with their antennae for up to 3 minutes before suddenly stabbing the spider with its rostrum. <br /> Luring involves &#039;tickling&#039; the strands of the spider web and when the prey comes to investigate it again taps with antennae before stabbing.<br /> They specialise in feeding on a wide range of spiders - Achaearanea, Badumna, Pholcus, and Stiphidion, and the families Salticidae and Uloboridae. <br /> At last I found a live one actually &#039;tickling&#039; a web to lure a spider even if it isn&#039;t fully grown. <br /> This one was about 6mm overall.<br /> Sorry for the poor lighting and focus. Australia,Geotagged,Spring,Stenolemus bituberus Click/tap to enlarge Species introCountry intro

Spider killer nymph luring (Stenolemus bituberus)

These tiny insects have modified forelegs and mouth parts and have two methods of preying upon spiders - stalking and luring. When stalking they slowly approach the spider, then tap on it with their antennae for up to 3 minutes before suddenly stabbing the spider with its rostrum.
Luring involves 'tickling' the strands of the spider web and when the prey comes to investigate it again taps with antennae before stabbing.
They specialise in feeding on a wide range of spiders - Achaearanea, Badumna, Pholcus, and Stiphidion, and the families Salticidae and Uloboridae.
At last I found a live one actually 'tickling' a web to lure a spider even if it isn't fully grown.
This one was about 6mm overall.
Sorry for the poor lighting and focus.

    comments (1)

  1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
    Ferdy Christant
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Bizarre, this is so cool, I had no idea this category of insects even existed. Is it the body in yellow that is the actual insect? And if they are so small, how do they manage to prey on spiders? Posted 9 years ago

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The Stenolemus bituberus

''Stenolemus bituberus'' is a species of thread-legged insect found across much of Australia. This species spends nearly its entire life in spider webs. It preys upon a variety of spiders, including webs and nests of spiders of ''Achaearanea'', ''Badumna'', ''Pholcus'', and ''Stiphidion'', and the families Salticidae and Uloboridae. This species is found in a broader diversity of spider webs than any other species in ''Stenolemus''.

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Similar species: True Bugs
Species identified by Mark Ridgway
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By Mark Ridgway

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Uploaded Mar 9, 2016. Captured Oct 27, 2012 18:06 in 12-20 Talaskia Rd, Upper Ferntree Gully VIC 3156, Australia.
country flag of Australia Explore Australia 13,072 4,173 3
  • EX-Z2000
  • f/3.4
  • 1/60s
  • ISO125
  • 8.46mm