Skip Navigation


Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on May 17, 2006
Behavioral Ecology 2006 17(4):676-681; doi:10.1093/beheco/ark017
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Lay Summary
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
17/4/676    most recent
ark017v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (10)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nelson, X. J.
Right arrow Articles by Jackson, R. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Nelson, X. J.
Right arrow Articles by Jackson, R. R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Vision-based innate aversion to ants and ant mimics

Ximena J. Nelson and Robert R. Jackson

School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand

Address correspondence to X.J. Nelson who is now at the Department of Psychology, Animal Behaviour Laboratory, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. E-mail: ximena{at}galliform.bhs.mq.edu.au.

Innate vision-based aversions to model and mimic were investigated using a mimicry system in which the models were ants (Formicidae), and both the mimics and the predators were jumping spiders (Salticidae). Jumping spiders are a large group of predatory invertebrates that usually prey opportunistically on prey of similar size. We used 12 representative species from this group, the "ordinary salticids" as predators. The mimics considered belonged to another group, salticids that resemble ants. A choice arena containing an empty chamber and a stimulus chamber was used for testing predator responses to a variety of dead arthropods (ants, ant mimics, and an array of non–ant-like species) mounted in a lifelike posture. When presented with visual cues from arthropods other than ants or ant-like salticids, naive predators chose the empty chamber no more often than the stimulus chamber. However, when visual cues were from ants or from ant-like salticids, ordinary salticids chose the empty chamber significantly more often than the stimulus chamber. These findings suggest learning by the predator is not necessary in order for ant-like salticids to gain Batesian mimicry advantages.

Key words: ants, innate aversion, mimicry, myrmecomorphy, spiders, vision.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biol LettHome page
X. J. Nelson and R. R. Jackson
Aggressive use of Batesian mimicry by an ant-like jumping spider
Biol Lett, December 23, 2009; 5(6): 755 - 757.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Phil Trans R Soc BHome page
M. Thery and J. Casas
The multiple disguises of spiders: web colour and decorations, body colour and movement
Phil Trans R Soc B, February 27, 2009; 364(1516): 471 - 480.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.