Brenthia hexaselena

Brenthia hexaselena is a species of moth of the family Choreutidae. It is found in Costa Rica. It is a rare example of a prey animal mimicking its predator.

Brenthia hexaselena
Video showing Brenthia hexaselena mimicking its predator, a jumping spider in posture, coloration and movement
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Choreutidae
Genus:
Brenthia
Species:
B. hexaselena
Binomial name
Brenthia hexaselena
Meyrick, 1909
Synonyms
  • Brenthia bicaudella Walsingham, 1914

Mimicry
The jumping spider Phiale formosa, a predator of the Brenthia moth, is unusually mimicked by the moth

Adult moths mimic the jumping spider Phiale formosa, one of their predators. The moths lie low with their wings held up facing forward, their coloration, pattern and movement all resembling those of the spider. In an experiment, Brenthia hexaselena and Brenthia monolychna had higher survival rates than other similarly sized moths in the presence of jumping spiders. The jumping spiders responded to Brenthia with territorial displays, indicating that the species were sometimes mistaken for jumping spiders, and not recognized as prey.[1]

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References
  1. Rota, Jadranka; Wagner, David L. (2006). "Predator Mimicry: Metalmark Moths Mimic Their Jumping Spider Predators". PLOS ONE. 1: e45. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000045. PMC 1762363. PMID 17183674.
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