| Abstrakt: |
Simple Summary: Predatory female fireflies of several species in the genus Photuris attract males from other firefly species by responding to their flash signals, and then, the females try to capture and feed on the attracted males. Predatory female Photuris, called "femmes fatales", are considered a serious threat to males of other firefly species; however, there are very few quantitative data on the strength of this menace. We measured the attraction of Photinus palaciosi males to predatory females of Photuris lugubris in the field, as well as the number of prey captured. We observed that females, in general, attract several males of the prey species but capture relatively few; only nine out of 92 (9.8%) observations of predatory females resulted in successful capture. Our observations show that the low hunting success of Photuris females could be explained in part by male behaviors. First, the males attracted behave in a way that we call "cautious" or "hesitant", which could prevent attacks, and second, these males also behave in ways that probably reduce the success of attacks at close distance, such as approaching in flight and "dropping" in the face of an imminent attack. Female Photuris also behave in ways that probably improve their success in attracting and capturing prey, such as perching in or near display areas of their prey species, and partially concealing their own lantern on the substrate to avoid revealing their much larger size and/or to better mimic the responses of Photinus females. Our observations are thus consistent with the idea that predators and prey are engaged in a coevolutionary race of adaptation and counter-adaptation. Photuris female fireflies attract males of different firefly species by responding to their flashing signals; then, they try to capture and feed on them. This aggressive mimicry is considered a major selective pressure on the communication systems of the fireflies of the American continent. The intensity of this selective pressure is a function of its efficiency in prey capture. In this study, the rates of attraction and capture of males of the synchronous firefly Photinus palaciosi by the predatory females of Photuris lugubris are reported. Although the females attract numerous males, their hunting success is low. This result is consistent with the few previous measurements published. In agreement with the predicted coevolutionary race between predator and prey, behaviors consistent with predation avoidance in P. palaciosi and increasing prey encounters and prey deception by P. lugubris were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
