Assassin bugs can reduce the aggression of their spider prey before an attack

Abstract Predators that hunt dangerous prey require specialized predatory tactics to avoid counter-attack. Usually, these reduce the probability of detection. The assassin bugs Stenolemus bituberus and S. giraffa rely on stealth or mimicry web-building spiders. Paradoxically, however, tap spiders with their antennae prior attacking, leaving vulnerable detection Here, we tested function tapping. We used a controlled, repeated-measures experiment assess responses (Pholcus phalangioides) simulated compared after being tapped leg (mimicking tapping by Stenolemus) sham-tapped. show can likelihood will behave aggressively, in turn lowering risks injury for bug predators. Tapping may be an adaptation intraspecific aggression is exploited