FILM AT 11.
http://www.asknature.org/strategy/32f38eb481d727ec0421834ca85047e9
So they're not only ADORABLE, they also help reduce the spread of malaria.
Quote"That an East African predator might single out malaria vectors as preferred prey is of considerable interest. Not only is malaria the world's most important insect-borne threat to public health [1,2], but it is especially in sub-Sahara Africa that Plasmodium falciparum and lethal malaria are prevalent [2,3,4,5]. Vectors of human malaria all belong to a particular mosquito genus, Anopheles [1,6,7]. Here we consider Evarcha culicivora, an East African jumping spider [Salticidae]. This species is known only from the vicinity of Lake Victoria in East Africa [8], a region where, even by African standards, the impact of malaria is especially severe [2,9,10]. Innate preference for blood-carrying female mosquitoes was shown for all active size classes of E. culicivora in an earlier study [11], but finer-grain preference for specifically Anopheles was not investigated. Here we show that, when sated, both large and small individuals of E. culicivora single out Anopheles as their preferred prey, and small juveniles of this predator prefer Anopheles even when fasted." (Nelson and Jackson 2006:1)
Hello, I am freakishly cute and I'm saving your life.
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(http://www.hs.fi/kuvat/iso_webkuva/horizontal/1135263943263.jpeg)
You must be using some other definition of "adorable" and "freakishly cute" that I'm not aware of.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8dtSpKw4eLI/TVxlikXOPlI/AAAAAAAAAZM/kbrbTSBQrBw/s1600/ara%2525C3%2525B1a%252BEvarcha%252Bolor%252Bcalcetines.jpg)
OMNOMNOM
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(http://salticidae.org/salticid/diagnost/evarcha/culi-jph.jpg)
I hate spiders and even I think jumping spiders are awesome.
This just confirms my opinion.
If they murder the little buzzing vampires, they're cool in my book. If I see one in my tent, I'll usually leave it. Three or more, and it's war, but one or two filtering the mosquitos out, yay. (Could have lived without the brown recluse, exemption does NOT extend to the poisonous ones.)
My friend K is at a conference about jumping spiders for some reason (I am confused about why, as her PhD is in chemistry, not arachnology) and when she told me and our friend b about this, he looked up jumping spiders and said "OH MY GOD, THEY'RE SO CUTE!!!"
I have been spending way too much time with b lately. He is my breakup buddy.
Quote from: Cain on July 13, 2011, 06:13:10 PM
I hate spiders and even I think jumping spiders are awesome.
This just confirms my opinion.
THIS!
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 05:50:10 PM
OMNOMNOM
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(http://salticidae.org/salticid/diagnost/evarcha/culi-jph.jpg)
Okay, even I will agree that this picture is cute.
D'AAAAWWWWWWW! <3
Quote from: Jenkem and SPACE/TIME on July 13, 2011, 07:38:29 PM
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 05:50:10 PM
OMNOMNOM
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(http://salticidae.org/salticid/diagnost/evarcha/culi-jph.jpg)
Okay, even I will agree that this picture is cute.
D'AAAAWWWWWWW! <3
Isn't it fucking adorable? As it munches on a disease-carrying mosquito?
Also I just found out that my chemist friend is IN AUSTRALIA attending this conference wherein she went to a lecture on jumping spiders. :?
I think she has been doing research on a potential new treatment for malaria, so I guess it makes sense.
Well if the spiders don't catch malaria when they eat the mosquitos maybe they have an antibody?
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 09:56:39 PM
Quote from: Jenkem and SPACE/TIME on July 13, 2011, 07:38:29 PM
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 05:50:10 PM
OMNOMNOM
\
(http://salticidae.org/salticid/diagnost/evarcha/culi-jph.jpg)
Okay, even I will agree that this picture is cute.
D'AAAAWWWWWWW! <3
Isn't it fucking adorable?
YES. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Quote from: Khara on July 13, 2011, 10:10:40 PM
Well if the spiders don't catch malaria when they eat the mosquitos maybe they have an antibody?
Plasmodium-genus parasites only affect vertebrates, so it couldn't be that.
I doubt she was there for the spider lecture; she probably went to is as part of a larger conference on malaria. I'll ask her when she gets back.
Quote from: Nigel on July 13, 2011, 11:22:35 PM
Quote from: Khara on July 13, 2011, 10:10:40 PM
Well if the spiders don't catch malaria when they eat the mosquitos maybe they have an antibody?
Plasmodium-genus parasites only affect vertebrates, so it couldn't be that.
I doubt she was there for the spider lecture; she probably went to is as part of a larger conference on malaria. I'll ask her when she gets back.
This is not completely true. Mosquitoes do have a mortality/lowered fecundity factor associated with carrying Plasmodium spp., so it is in their benefit to find ways to keep Plasmodium from infecting. It seriously fucks with their reproductive and digestive systems. I don't think it can transfer to predators though.