FROZEN BEHAVIOUR: THE OLDEST KNOWN ATTACK OF A FOSSIL SPIDER BY A PREDATORY MITE IN MID CRETACEOUS BURMESE AMBER (ARANEAE: OONOPIDAE AND ACARI: BDELLIDAE).

The interaction of a pair of predatory fossil arachnids (Acari: Bdellidae and Araneae: Oonopidae: Orchestininae) in Mid Cretaceous Burmese amber is shortly described and discussed: A mite attacked, spun in and apparently sucked out an oonopid spider. This is the geologically oldest report of such a behaviour. These fossil arachnids demonstrate that spiders were the prey of mites already 100 million years ago, and a peculiar spinning ability and capturing behaviour of the family Bdellidae already existed at this time like in today's mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]