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Assassin bugs tap spiders to distract them before a lethal strike

The strange behavior seems to lull the arachnids into fatal complacency

image of a Stenolemus bituberus assassin bug

Thread-legged assassin bugs (Stenolemus bituberus, shown) use stealthy movements and antennae taps to hunt dangerous spiders on their own webs.

A. Wignall

By Jake Buehler

Assassin bugs live up to their name. The insects expertly stalk and feed upon other small invertebrates, jabbing them with a venomous proboscis. Some species even hunt spiders and use a strange trick to gain the upper hand.

Using their antennae, assassin bugs tap spiders, which appears to discombobulate the arachnids long enough to let the bugs make a toxic strike, researchers report September 29 in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.