ABOVE: Herennia multipuncta
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Many animals use their colors strategically for survival, whether they’re flashing a warning signal to send harassers scurrying or enticing prey to wander closer. But new research suggests that a spider species enjoys the best of both worlds. Using its vibrant patterns, the spotted coin spider manages to both lure prey and repel predators, scientists reported last month (March 12) in Functional Ecology. The finding fits into an emerging picture of the evolution of colorful signals that’s more complicated than previously thought.
While observing local wildlife in the wooded areas surrounding Tunghai University in Taiwan, Sean Blamires, an evolutionary biologist at the University of New South Wales and an author on the new study, and his colleagues noticed a spider with some peculiar behaviors. They saw that female spotted coin spiders (Herennia multipuncta)—flat-bodied inhabitants of tree trunks throughout Southeast Asia—display two pairs of bright orange ...