A
loving pair of Coeliccia erici (Laidlaw, 1917). The female so concentrated
in continuing laying eggs (oviposit) and does not aware the husband
already fell pray to a spider.
The color of the spider match the color and patent of the water surface
making the couple difficult to see a dangerous enemy near by. At that time
the female might have fully immerged into water to oviposit leaving only
the male above the water. An adult Coeliccia erici is only 26 mm in
length. Such high above water is an easy height for this long lagged
spider to jump onto. |
The
spider escaped when I rescue this loving couple of Coeliccia erici (Laidlaw,
1917). from the water.
The female is alive and restlessly seem that she still want to continue
her obligatory in completing her ovipositing (laying eggs). Though dead,
the male anal appendage hold on tight onto the female’s pro-thorax.
The male is lifeless. The spider had injected enough poison into his left
neck. What a terrible moment to dye right in front your love one in the
middle of love. In dead he still hold tight to her………”we live together so
shall we dye together.” |
A
little pull (by me) helped to ‘unchain’ this female Coeliccia erici from
the ‘deadly love lock’ from the male.
The color and size of both male and female Coeliccia erici are similar.
When viewed from top their eyes and thorax are pure black. This is unique
patent make them easily distinguish from other similar species.
She is robust and could not remain still on the back of my hand. But she
could not fly until I untangled her left pair of stuck wings. |
Alive
and back to nature, this female Coeliccia erici narrow escaped from dead
only few minutes ago.
Her male partner was unfortunately dead from pray of a spider in the mid
of her ovipositing. In this unwilling dead, her male partner appendage
remain tightly hold on her prothorex. |