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Psyche 
[Vol. 87 
Fig. 17. A third instar female spiderling showing the spines on the prolateral 
surfaces of the front two pairs of legs, 
Defensive behavior 
Bolas spiders are sometimes called “bird lime” spiders because of 
their supposed resemblance to bird droppings as they rest during the 
day. Once one has found a spider this resemblance seems a bit 
farfetched, but my repeated experience during daytime searches for 
spiders of finding a spider only to have it turn out to be a bird 
dropping suggest that the spiders’ coloring and resting posture 
(similar to that of M. cornigera —Gertsch 1947) do function to mimic 
bird droppings. 
M. dizzydeani did not attempt to flee when disturbed, but simply 
crouched immobile, even when picked up in the fingers. Gertsch 
(1947) observed the same behavior in M cornigera. When squeezed 
gently on the abdomen, M. dizzydeani produced a strong, somewhat 
disagreeable odor reminiscent of those of lampyrid beetles and 
