By Susan Milius
This takes the pre-kiss breath mint into new territory. Certain jumping spiders prefer partners that have recently dined on blood-fed mosquitoes.
Engorged-mosquito breath proves attractive to both males and females among Evarcha culicivora jumping spiders, says spider biologist Fiona Cross of the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She and her colleagues tested the preferences of both spider sexes by timing how long they lingered in a stream of air wafting over potential mates that had different dining histories.
This species, native to East Africa, is the only animal known to feed on vertebrate blood indirectly, Cross explains. The spiders don’t do the blood sucking themselves but seek out mosquitoes that have bitten vertebrates.