Carnivorous Beetle Larvae Lure Toads With Deadly Siren Call
Posted on September 26, 2011
A species of carnivorous ground beetle stalks amphibians, including frogs, as adults. The larvae of these species also prey on amphibians. The larvae has a unique technique for luring in toads and other amphibians.
Gil Wizen, a graduate student of Tel Aviv University's Department of Zoology, says the beetle larvae attract an amphibian's attention by performing a sequence of movements, including opening their jaws and moving their antennae side to side. When a small amphibian tries to grab the larvae with its tongue, the larvae jumps and attaches itself to the amphibian with its jaws.
Take a look:
In the first stage of development, the beetle larvae feed off the amphibian's body fluids like an exoparasite, and eventually, when they need to moult into its next developmental stage, they fall off the amphibian's body, leaving a nasty scar. In the second or third stages of development, Wizen says the larvae begin to chew on the amphibians themselves, leaving behind nothing but bones.
Adult beetles of the species ambush and paralyze frogs by making a small incision into their back, possibly by severing the spinal cord. The beetles then consume the frog. A video of one species of carnivorous beetles consuming a toad can be seen here.