Orb-weaving spider, Argiope savignyi (Araneidae), predation on the proboscis bat Rhynchonycteris naso (Emballonuridae)

Abstract

We report an observation of an orb-weaving spider (Argiope savignyi; Araneidae) capturing and feeding on a proboscis bat (Rhynchonycteris naso; Emballonuridae) at the La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica. This observation and others suggest that spiders prey upon small bats more frequently than has been noted previously, and that invertebrates should now be considered as regular predators on small bats.