The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones)

Journal article

Nilton C Cáceres, Isadora E Fluck
Iheringia. Série Zoologia, vol. 111, 2021

DOI: 10.1590/1678-4766e2021014

Cite

APA Click to copy
Cáceres, N. C., & Fluck, I. E. (2021). The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones). Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 111. https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-4766e2021014

Chicago/Turabian Click to copy
Cáceres, Nilton C, and Isadora E Fluck. “The Hard Task of a Short-Tailed Mouse Opossum (Monodelphis) to Prey a Harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones).” Iheringia. Série Zoologia 111 (2021).

MLA Click to copy
Cáceres, Nilton C., and Isadora E. Fluck. “The Hard Task of a Short-Tailed Mouse Opossum (Monodelphis) to Prey a Harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones).” Iheringia. Série Zoologia, vol. 111, 2021, doi:10.1590/1678-4766e2021014.

BibTeX Click to copy

@article{nilton2021a,
  title = {The hard task of a short-tailed mouse opossum (Monodelphis) to prey a harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones)},
  year = {2021},
  journal = {Iheringia. Série Zoologia},
  volume = {111},
  doi = {10.1590/1678-4766e2021014},
  author = {Cáceres, Nilton C and Fluck, Isadora E}
}

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.

Agonistic behavior between a harvestman of the family Gonyleptidae and the mouse opossum Monodelphis dimidiata (Wagner, 1847). The interaction starts with the mouse opossum in an attack position, facing the harvestman (Fig. 2), then the marsupial staggers side to side (Fig. 3) and is knocked out (Fig. 4). This sequence of events is repeated two times, until the mouse opossum assumes its third attack position and attacks the harvestman (Fig. 5). The mouse opossum removes the harvestman’s legs one by one to then feed on its body (Fig. 6).

Image designed by Isadora E. Fluck and edited in the Inkscape software.