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Ant-snatching assassin bug (Acanthaspis petax):
Acanthaspis petax lives within close proximity to ant colonies though it does deviate from a solely ant-based diet despite consistently and uniquely using the desiccated remains of ants in a form of macabre camouflage. The ant carcasses are held together with a kind of glue which is spread over the back and between the individual corpses with the help of the back legs and the hairs which stretch and smooth the glue over a greater surface area. Such camouflage is thought to protect it by disrupting its outline, masking its biochemical signature, making it appear much larger than it is in reality and offering a kind of shield. Ants are likely the target due to their fearsome nature and their tendency to swarm which both act as deterrents to would-be predators. In studies in which camouflaged and bare assassin bugs were placed in a cage with several species of jumping spiders, bare reduviids were consistently attacked more frequently ~10:1.
Assassin bug (Amulius sp.) with resin coated forelegs:
Although the resin may be used for prey capture, there was a study done in a North American species which demonstrated that the resin was actually spread over eggs in order to make them unpalatable to predators.
Under UV light:
Dolichoderinae queen with wings removed after nuptial flight:
Jumping spider with developing eggs:
Gecko portrait:
Vinegaroon with young:
Pill cockroach:
Thanks for looking and commenting,
Paul
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