A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Stenolemus bituberus
A species of thread-legged insect (Emesinae) found across much of Australia. This species spends nearly its entire life (moulting, feeding, mating) in spider webs. It preys upon a variety of spiders, including webs and nests of spiders of Achaearanea, Badumna, Pholcus, and Stiphidion, and the families Salticidae and Uloboridae. This species is found in a broader diversity of spider webs than any other species in Stenolemus.
Dry sclerophyll bushland.
Assassin bug uses aggressive mimicry to lure spider prey: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/c...
Spotted on Jun 15, 2011
Submitted on Jun 15, 2011
4 Comments
I can see why you thought it was a mantid lacewing. Great series
That's wild! I can see why you'd think it was a mantis fly at first, the way it's holding its front legs is so similar.
Thanks, cehrzog. Although I found it nearly impossible to photograph, because it was so small and spindly. And to make matters more difficult, even when not walking it swayed a little, and when it did walk it had this strange herky-jerky movement.
I actually thought it might be a manis fly (Campion sp.) when I first saw it. But it's just another one of the seemingly endless variations in true bugs (Hemiptera).
very interesting and nice shots