Bizarre Bug Predators

Most of us are familiar with the most well known insect predators such as wasps, spiders, and mantids. It’s pretty straightforward. They basically kill and eat anything that crosses their path. But you probably don’t know about insect predators that have super specific diets, lifestyles, and weird hunting techniques to top it off. These guys are just plain weird…period.

Paussinae beetles are a strange, rarely-seen species of tiny bombardier beetles. They’ve cornered the market on ants, living unseen inside their nests and prey on both the adult and young. These little killers have special terminal discs shaped like saucer on the end of their tails. They use these discs in various ways to catch their ant prey. Many of them will hide their body inside sand in the nest, and leave the tail out in the open. The disc then secretes an attractive odor that lures in prey, so they can get caught in the disc as it snaps shut, kind of like a second set of jaws. Others will burrow straight down into the soil, using their discs to plug their burrow. The disc then acts as a kind of trigger panel, alerting the beetle when an ant has stepped on it, so they can immediately attack.

A similar tactic is used by the larvae of tiny Brachyspectra fulva beetles. These larval beetles are completely flat, and have a single sharp spike on its rear end. Like the Paussinae, these beetles camouflage their presence on the ground, and lie in wait for their unsuspecting prey to trip over them. They also secrete a chemical that attracts their prey, mostly spiders, towards their hiding spot until said victim is standing right on top of them. They then quickly trap the victim between their jaws and tail.

Have you ever heard of these bizarre bugs? Have you ever seen any insect that reminds you of them?