Two coinhabitants visually lure prey to host territory through a shared conspicuous trait

It has been known that the body coloration of some spiders can lure prey to their webs, and even some kleptoparasitic Argyrodes spiders can lure prey to their hosts’ webs. However, whether the conspicuous body coloration of mate-seeking males plays any role remains untested. We showed for the first time that the orange-red body coloration shared by male Nephila pilipes and kleptoparasitic Argyrodes miniaceus spiders inhabiting webs of female N. pilipes can visually lure prey. Findings of this study can potentially strengthen our current understanding of the function of body coloration of spiders, shed light on evolution of spider body coloration, and provide new perspectives on symbiotic relationships between animals.