Predators must often employ flexible strategies to capture prey. Particular attention has been given to the strategies of visual predators that actively pursue their prey, but sit-and-wait predators have been largely overlooked, their strategies often characterized as stereotyped. Praying mantids are primarily sit-and-wait predators that often employ crypsis to catch their prey using a raptorial strike produced by their highly modified forelimbs. Here, we show that the raptorial strike of the Madagascan marbled mantis (Polyspilota aeruginosa) varies in duration from 60 to 290 ms due to the tibial extension alone; slower strikes involve slower tibial extensions that may also be interrupted by a pause. The success of a strike is independent of its duration or the presence of these pauses. However, prey speed affects the duration of tibial extension and the probability of a pause occurring, both increasing at slower prey speeds. Adjusting the duration of the tibial extension according to prey speed allows mantids to time the final downward sweep of the tibia to their prey's approach. The use of visual inputs to adjust the motor pattern controlling forelimb movements shows that not all aspects of the strike are stereotyped and that sit-and-wait predators can produce behavioural flexibility.

中文翻译：

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猎物速度影响“坐等”捕食者猛禽攻击的速度和结构。


捕食者必须经常采用灵活的策略来捕获猎物。人们特别关注主动追捕猎物的视觉捕食者的策略，但静坐等待的捕食者在很大程度上被忽视了，他们的策略通常被认为是刻板的。螳螂主要是静坐等待的掠食者，它们经常利用高度改造的前肢产生的猛禽攻击来捕捉猎物。在这里，我们发现马达加斯加大理石螳螂 (Polyspilota aeruginosa) 的猛禽攻击持续时间从 60 到 290 毫秒不等，仅由于胫骨伸展而变化；较慢的击球涉及较慢的胫骨伸展，也可能因暂停而中断。罢工的成功与否与其持续时间或这些停顿的存在无关。然而，猎物速度会影响胫骨伸展的持续时间和发生暂停的概率，两者都会随着猎物速度较慢而增加。根据猎物速度调整胫骨伸展的持续时间，使得螳螂能够在猎物接近时确定胫骨最后向下扫掠的时间。使用视觉输入来调整控制前肢运动的运动模式表明，并非所有攻击方面都是刻板的，坐着等待的捕食者可以产生行为灵活性。