Thieves in the Night: Kleptoparasitism by Fireflies in the Genus Photuris Dejean (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
Thieves in the Night: Kleptoparasitism by Fireflies in the Genus Photuris Dejean (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)
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夜里的小偷:萤火虫属萤火虫的盗贼寄生(鞘翅目:萤科)
DOI:
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发表时间:
2012
期刊:
影响因子:
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通讯作者:
S. Lewis
中科院分区:
文献类型:
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作者:
L. Faust;R. De Cock;S. Lewis
ABSTRACT
Food theft is a common foraging strategy in birds, and many arthropods steal prey trapped by orb-weaving spiders. Some fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) within the North American genus Photuris Dejean (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are specialist predators which actively hunt for and sequester chemical defenses (lucibufagins) from other fireflies. Here we present the first description of kleptoparasitic behavior by female Photuris fireflies, which we have observed stealing wrapped fireflies of the genus Photinus Laporte from spider webs. Photuris females thus appear capable of three distinct foraging strategies: hawking, aggressive flash mimicry, and kleptoparasitism. We discuss some factors that might have favored the evolution of kleptoparasitism by this specialist predator.