Thanatosis Behaviour in the Indoxysticus minutus Tikader, 1960 (Aranae: Thomisidae) in Gariyaband, Chhattisgarh, India
Author : Jashavant Nayak, Premlal Sori and Leena Sahu
Abstract :
All organisms have different behaviours to protect themselves similarly, spiders are also far ahead in terms of behaviour. Thanatosis behaviour reported for the first time in Indoxysticus minutus Tikader, 1960 during spider species collection. When this species was being collected, it immobilized its entire body and their legs too. It performed this behaviour to protect itself from predators and displayed anti-Predation behaviour (Thanatosis). This behaviour can mostly be seen in beetles, this is the first time in which this behaviour has been properly observed in spiders. When a predator sees such a body position of the spider, it feels as if the spider is dead. It has been observed that predatory animals mostly do not eat dead bodies. They like to hunt and eat live prey. Therefore, this spider also behaved similarly, and this behaviour sometimes protects them from predators.
Keywords :
Thanatosis, Aranae, Thomisidae, Indoxysticus minutus, Behaviour.
