The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones)
ABSTRACT Despite the great diversity of small insectivorous mammals and the use of scent gland secretions as a defense mechanism by harvestmen, there is no observation about the effectiveness of scent glands against predators such as small mammals. We report a remarkable harvestman defense mechanism...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Iheringia: Série Zoologia |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0073-47212021000100214&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1819282456541396992 |
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| author | Nilton C. Cáceres Isadora E. Fluck |
| author_facet | Nilton C. Cáceres Isadora E. Fluck |
| author_sort | Nilton C. Cáceres |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Despite the great diversity of small insectivorous mammals and the use of scent gland secretions as a defense mechanism by harvestmen, there is no observation about the effectiveness of scent glands against predators such as small mammals. We report a remarkable harvestman defense mechanism against a small-mammal attack. When a harvestman and a mouse opossum confronted each other inside a cage, the harvestman knocked out the mouse opossum two sequential times before it could attack the harvestman. Although it is a unique observation and there is no information about its frequency in nature, this report stimulates the study of agonistic behavior between small, cryptic species, which are difficult to observe in the field. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:15:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-453eb48b5f964ef487e160907cf15d50 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1678-4766 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T01:15:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Fundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Iheringia: Série Zoologia |
| spelling | doaj.art-453eb48b5f964ef487e160907cf15d502022-12-21T17:22:46ZengFundação Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do SulIheringia: Série Zoologia1678-47662021-08-0111110.1590/1678-4766e2021014The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones)Nilton C. Cácereshttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4904-0604Isadora E. Fluckhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3101-9818ABSTRACT Despite the great diversity of small insectivorous mammals and the use of scent gland secretions as a defense mechanism by harvestmen, there is no observation about the effectiveness of scent glands against predators such as small mammals. We report a remarkable harvestman defense mechanism against a small-mammal attack. When a harvestman and a mouse opossum confronted each other inside a cage, the harvestman knocked out the mouse opossum two sequential times before it could attack the harvestman. Although it is a unique observation and there is no information about its frequency in nature, this report stimulates the study of agonistic behavior between small, cryptic species, which are difficult to observe in the field.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0073-47212021000100214&tlng=enPrey defensive strategyescape behaviorcounterattackpredator attackDidelphidae |
| spellingShingle | Nilton C. Cáceres Isadora E. Fluck The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) Iheringia: Série Zoologia Prey defensive strategy escape behavior counterattack predator attack Didelphidae |
| title | The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) |
| title_full | The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) |
| title_fullStr | The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) |
| title_short | The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) |
| title_sort | hard task of a short tailed mouse opossum monodelphis to prey a harvestman arachnida opiliones |
| topic | Prey defensive strategy escape behavior counterattack predator attack Didelphidae |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0073-47212021000100214&tlng=en |
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