SHOOTING SPRINGTAILS WITH A STICKY ROD - THE FLEXIBLE HUNTING BEHAVIOR OF STENUS-COMMA (COLEOPTERA, STAPHYLINIDAE) AND THE COUNTERSTRATEGIES OF ITS PREY

The behaviour of the beetle Stenus comma hunting three species of springtails was investigated. In almost half the attacks on prey, the beetle used its protrusible labium to catch the springtail. However, attacks using the labium were less successful when the springtail was large or was covered in scales or setae, as the prey item was more likely to become detached from the sticky tip of the labium. Thus the beetle was more likely to attack large springtails without using its labium. © 1991 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.