Male and female spiders resembling a flower.

A species of spider discovered in China may have evolved a male-female pair that looks like a flower, allowing it to blend into the background.

“This may be the world's first case of cooperative imitation,” said Shi-Mao Wu of Yunnan University, who observed it with colleagues. Jiang Yun Gao.

Spiders of the family Tomicidae, also known as crab spiders, are ambush predators that usually live on or near flowers.

They are known for their excellent camouflage abilities that prevent them from being detected by prey or predators. Some species can even change color to match the color of the flower they sit on.

Wu and Gao were in the rainforest of southwestern China's Yunnan province when a male crab spider attacked them. Tomysus guanxicus Something caught Mr. Wu's attention.the spider was sitting on the flower Hoya pandurataa plant that lives on ancient tea trees in the forest.

“The first time I observed a male spider, I didn't see a female spider,” Wu said. Only when I got closer did I notice that the male spider was lying on the female's back. “They tricked my eyes really well,” he says.

Researchers hypothesize that the small, dark-colored males mimic pistils (female organs in the center of flowers), while the females mimic fused petals.

Researchers say that only when individual spiders of both sexes come together will the flowers match in appearance.

but, Gabriele Greco A professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is not convinced. “It's very difficult to determine the nature of the observed behavior,” he says.

In fact, in many spider species it is common for the male to stand over the female during mating. “A simpler explanation might be simple interactions related to courtship and mating,” Greco says.