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Lynx Spider & Prey
Oxyopes javanus & Amata sp.
15.4556, 119.92
Field Notes
Description:
My spotting before this one (https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/739658427} showed a Lynx Spider as the victim of predation by a Spider Wasp and I mentioned that the Lynx also lives by predation. So, after I uploaded that one, I thought I had better make good on my claims of having witnessed and photographed Lynx Spiders killing prey. I set about looking through some of my old pictures and notes and it didn't take long to find some photos that show the Lynx in his natural role as a serious predator. I came across three predatory attacks on Amata spp. (Wasp Moths) by Oxyopes javanus, back in 2017 and I intend to upload spottings of all three. The reason for showing all three predations is that they were in the exact same place, two predations on one day and another on the next day. What I want to emphasise is that these attacks on weaker species are not just something that happens from time to time. In the lifestyle of a Lynx, they are systematic, methodical and never-ending until the Lynx itself becomes the prey of a stronger predator. In my photos above, you will see that the Lynx had already seized the moth before i started taking pictures. I have never managed to photograph the moment of capture because the spider does his best to go unseen by its prey until the split second of the strike. So, just like the prey, I don't notice until there is some sudden flash of action, then it is too late for the prey to escape and equally too late for me to get a picture. So what you see is the aftermath of the attack.
Habitat:
The Lynx Spider and its prey, the Wasp Moth were spotted on a huge tangle of Tropical White Weed (Ageratum conyzoides) on a patch of land between rice fields.
Notes:
I would like to express my thanks to Võ Anh Tuấn for identifying the Wasp Moth, shown in my pictures, as Amata grotei (Moore, 1871) I had originally called it Unidentified Syntomini. I am slightly uncertain as I cannot find sufficiently clear images for comparison. So, for now, I will refer to this moth as Amata sp.
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