Tso thinks the nocturnal lure strategy may also be used by other animals. “It would also be neat to see if they are attracting the attention of predators like nocturnal birds, but recording predation events in the wild takes a lot of patience,” he says.
That said, he thinks it’s probably the general “brightness” of the web rather than its colour that attracts the moths. “We know many nocturnal insects like moths and bees have perfectly good vision at night – even colour vision, unlike humans.” Thomas White at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, says the study adds to evidence that spiders can lure prey into their traps. “ a new perspective in understanding the foraging strategies of nocturnal animals,” says Tso.ĭepartment of Life Science, Tunghai University The new study is the first evidence of spiders using their webs for visual attraction at night. But these visual tricks have so far all been seen working during the day. Other spiders use their bodies to reflect light and attract prey. Some add yellow pigment to their silk, which may attract insects given that many flowering plants produce yellow pollen. The study isn’t the first to suggest that spiders resort to optical trickery to attract prey. Moths are attracted to such bright, open spaces. Tso’s team speculates that the spiders’ chief prey – moths – have relatively poor eyesight and might mistake the whitish web as an area of open space in the otherwise dark and dense forest.