Newly discovered 'ballista spider' uses spring-powered silk trap to catch ants

A ballista spider waits for an ant. Pic Courtesy/Prof Ajay Narendra

Researchers have documented a newly recognised spider that uses a spring-powered silk snare to catch the aggressive green tree ant Oecophylla smaragdina.

The ant bites what looks like a small silk cone near the forest floor, and in that instant the trap fires, flinging the insect upward into the web.

The spider has been nicknamed the ballista spider, after the ancient Roman launcher that hurled bolts or stones. The spider has not yet been formally named.

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