A vegetarian spider

Approximately 40,000 different species ofspidersin the world, all of them avid predators that trap insects and other animals with their spider webs to devour them. Well, all but one. In Central America and southern Mexico, a couple of American biologists have foundan atypical spider, Bagheera kiplingi , that feeds on the leaves of a shrub. It’s about thefirst vegetarian spiderof which there is knowledge.

Specific,Bagheera kiplingi, reddish in color, inhabits some acacias in which the ants and the bush maintain a close cooperative relationship. The ants are responsible for protecting the plant from herbivores and, in return, take shelter under its spines and take food in the form ofnectarthat sprouts from the base of its leaves. Scientists have discovered that vegetarian spiders also have a predilection for this plant, specifically for leaves calledBeltian estructuras. And that in order to eat them they must avoid the “patrols” of ants, exhibiting excellent natural qualities in terms of theirview, jumping abilityYcognitive habilytiesin general. “The ants are simply unable to stop them. They can devour the entire leaf in less than five minutes,” explains Christopher Meehan, a co-author of the study.

To name the new species, Meehan and his colleague Eric Olson were inspired by the writerRudyard Kiplingand in his character Bagheera, the panther of theJungle Book. Details of the investigation are published today in the journalCurrent Biology.