Data for perception and predation of ladybird spiders and other red-and-black arthropods by three predators

Mimics are under selection from a community of predators possessing
different perception abilities and modes of prey capture, yet the efficacy
of Batesian/Müllerian mimicry in a mimetic complex has typically been
tested using a single predator. The males of Eresus spiders appear to
mimic black-and-red coloured insects, and in particular ladybird beetles.
Here, we tested the hypothesis of defensive mimicry in this species using
three co-occurring visually oriented predators: mantids, lizards, and
birds, possessing different visual ability (di- and tetra-chromatic
vision). We compared two salient traits (movement and colouration) of
Eresus males and three putative co-mimics (Coccinella septempunctata,
Graphosoma italicum, Pyrrhocoris apterus). We found that Eresus spiders
are far more mobile than the co-mimics and this could make them
unprofitable due to efficient evasion. According to visual models, all
three predators should not be able to distinguish the coloration of Eresus
from that of two co-mimics. The natural diet of the green lizard revealed
that lizards captured on average Eresus spiders as frequently as
co-mimics. In predation trials, mantises captured Eresus males at greater
latency but with similar frequency as co-mimics. In the predation
experiment, both hand-reared and wild-caught great tits captured Eresus
males far more frequently than Coccinella beetles. Eresus males were
palatable to all three predators consistent with Batesian form of mimicry
but when considering evasion abilities, they could be classified as
quasi-Batesian mimics.