A spider, an ant, and a termite walk into a bar

Ants and termites are insect groups that make up most of the insect biomass in tropical ecosystems. Due to their social structure and abundance, they are some of the most bountiful prey available to other invertebrates such as spiders. However, ants and termites possess dangerous defense strategies, thus limiting their accessibility to general predators.

Here, we report on an unexpected finding of a three-way predator-prey-kleptoparasite interaction in Madagascar among a termite Nasutitermes sp. (prey), a previously unknown theridiid spider Vigdisia praesidens gen. nov., sp. nov. (predator), and an ant Pheidole spinosa (kleptoparasite). Our field observations suggest that the spiders are able to detect a damaged termite nest from a distance to disperse onto it and prey on its residents. Kleptoparasitic ants also arrive on the scene to steal from the spiders their termite prey. Both the spider and the ant seem to possess some degree of behavioral prey specialization for Nasutitermes termites. 

The here described ecological interaction warrants further study to better understand the exploitation of signals by such phylogenetically diverse arthropods.

This diverse ecological interaction warrants further study to better understand the exploitation of signals by such phylogenetically diverse arthropods. We predict that discoveries await wherever termite nests are opened up, and that in tropical areas where spintharine theridiid spiders are found, many known and new species will be discovered to facultatively or obligatorily feed on termites.

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