Brandt, Miriam and Mahsberg, Dieter (2002) Bugs with a backpack: the function of nymphal camouflage in the West African assassin bugs Paredocla and Acanthaspis spp. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 63. pp. 277-284. ISSN 0003-3472
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
The nymphs of the West African assassin bugs Paredocla and Acanthaspis spp. disguise themselves with a cover of dust, sand and soil particles ('dust coat') and additionally pile a 'backpack' of larger objects, such as empty prey corpses and plant parts, on their abdomen. We investigated the effect of this conspicuous camouflage in interactions of the bugs with ants, their main prey, as well as in encounters with their own predators. Experiments with three ant species showed that the dust coat impedes chemical and tactile recognition of the nymphs by ant workers and thus may serve to increase their hunting success. The backpack appeared to play only a minor role in this context. In arena experiments with three potential predators (spiders, geckos and centipedes), camouflaged nymphs were significantly more likely to survive than denuded bugs. Here the observed effect was mainly attributable to the backpack, which enhanced the concealing effect of the dust coat and confused visually orienting predators. In addition, in the case of an attack, it could be shed to distract the enemy while the bug escaped, thus functioning in a similar manner as a lizard's tail. (C) 2002 The Association for the Study ofAnimal Behaviour.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | ; |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Zoologie/Evolutionsbiologie (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Heinze) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Nov 2021 10:43 |
| Last Modified: | 09 Nov 2021 10:43 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/40606 |
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