Chemically mediated burrow recognition in the Mexican tarantula <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachypelma vagans</Emphasis> female |
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Authors: | Ariane Dor Salima Machkour-M’Rabet Luc Legal Trevor Williams Yann Hénaut |
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Institution: | (1) El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Unidad Chetumal, Av. Centenario Km 5.5, Chetumal, 77900, Quintana Roo, Mexico;(2) Laboratoire d’écologie Fonctionnelle, UMR5245, Université Paul Sabatier, 118 Route de Narbonne, F-31062 Toulouse cedex 9, France;(3) Instituto de Ecología, A.C, Apartado Postal 63, Xalapa, 91070, Veracruz, Mexico |
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Abstract: | Chemically mediated communication is common in spiders but has been poorly studied in burrowing tarantulas. This study aimed
to determine whether chemical cues influence the behaviour of females of Brachypelma vagans, a Mexican species of tarantula, during encounters with previously inhabited burrows or with extracts from the silk of conspecific
females. In laboratory choice tests, female tarantulas entered a burrow that had previously been inhabited by a conspecific
female significantly more frequently than a burrow that had never been inhabited. The identity of the previous inhabitant
also affected the number of spiders that chose to enter a burrow. Spiders were quicker to choose and enter a burrow previously
inhabited by themselves than a burrow previously inhabited by a conspecific or a burrow that had not been previously inhabited.
Hexane, methanol and dichloromethane extracts of conspecific silk elicited different responses from female tarantulas when
extracts were placed on filter paper disks at one end of an experimental arena with a control filter paper disk, on to which
the corresponding solvent alone had been pipetted, placed on the other end of the arena. Spiders showed the strongest responses
to hexane extracts of silk, with a significant preference to move towards the hexane extract and a significantly greater period
of time spent in proximity to the hexane extract compared to the control disk. Overall and in contrast to expectations, tarantulas
were most strongly attracted to the cues left by other conspecific females. As encounters between B. vagans females usually lead to aggression and mortality of one of the participants, we conclude that chemical cues are not signals
that are deliberately released by burrow-inhabiting females but may inadvertently escape and cannot be easily suppressed. |
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Keywords: | Brachypelma vagans Chemical cues Silk extraction Intraspecific recognition |
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