Spider traps amphibian in northeastern Madagascar

Abstract

Predation can take unexpected turns. For instance, various invertebrate species-most commonly spiders-may prey on vertebrates. Here, we report one observation of a spider (Sparassidae, Damastes sp.) feeding on an amphibian (Hyperoliidae, Heterixalus andrakata) inside a retreat in northeastern Madagascar. To our knowledge, this is the second report of vertebrate predation by spiders in Madagascar. Three additional observations of retreats built by the same spider species show that the spiders built similar retreats and were hiding at the rear end of the retreat. The retreats were built by weaving two green leaves together which were still attached to the tree. We speculate from the observations, that the retreat serves as a targeted trap that deceives frogs seeking shelter during daytime.