Nutrition
The Climaciella brunnea
Larvae
The Climaciella brunnea as stated in the
habitat section climb aboard a spider
and parasitize the egg sack once the female has laid her eggs.
The Climaciella brunnea
sometimes have to wait a long time, even overwinter, for the
female spider to lay her eggs. In the meantime the larvae take
blood meals from the host spider they are living on (Mitton
2011).
The adult Climaciella brunnea
The Climaciella burnnea have a diverse diet. They eat
both bugs and the drink nectar from flowers. To hunt their prey they
hang motionless on the underside of flowers. They use the
flowers of thistle and other plants to attract their prey (Boyden 1983). They do not usually
share their leaves with other C. brunnea. The C. brunnea feed on
small insects consisting of aphids, lygus bugs, lady beetles,
stink bugs, and flies. They are also cannibalistic and this
behavior has been seen in both male and females (Texas A&M
Agrilife extension 2012).
The picture to the right shows the Climaciella brunnea eating a fly.