# Zebra jumping spiders munching on mosquitoes (pics)



## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

Thats really cool! Did they eat it like that or did they haul it away and wrap it up?


----------



## EWTC (Aug 7, 2010)

Mea culpa

There is a quote circulating on Facebook that basically says that you are doing science wrong if you don’t make mistakes; that you are doing science really wrong if you don’t correct those mistakes; and that you aren’t doing it at all if you don’t accept that you’re mistaken.

Well, it turns out that the darker spider is actually a different species: Platycryptus (probably P. californicus). It also turns out that what I thought were mosquitoes were actually non-biting midges (chironomids). Sigh. I have re-edited my blog and corrected these mistakes. 

I must be doing GREAT science!

It’s interesting that two very similar species, one introduced and one native, were feeding on the same prey within inches of one another. I wonder whether the two species avoid each other (given their great vision) or if one ever preys on the other?

Cheers,
EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com


----------



## EWTC (Aug 7, 2010)

thelub said:


> Thats really cool! Did they eat it like that or did they haul it away and wrap it up?


Neither actually, they just munched the bugs right there on the spot, and then dropped the corpses when they were done.

Cheers,
EC


----------

