Search Results (3)

Salticidae is the most species-rich family of spiders with diverse morphology, ecology and behavior. However, the characteristics of the mitogenomes within this group are poorly understood with relatively few well-characterized complete mitochondrial genomes. In this study, we provide completely annotated mitogenomes for Corythalia opima and Parabathippus shelfordi, which represent the first complete mitogenomes of the tribe Euophryini of Salticidae. The features and characteristics of the mitochondrial genomes are elucidated for Salticidae by thoroughly comparing the known well-characterized mitogenomes. The gene rearrangement between trnL2 and trnN was found in two jumping spider species, Corythalia opima and Heliophanus lineiventris Simon, 1868. Additionally, the rearrangement of nad1 to between trnE and trnF found in Asemonea sichuanensis Song & Chai, 1992 is the first protein-coding gene rearrangement in Salticidae, which may have an important phylogenetic implication for the family. Tandem repeats of various copy numbers and lengths were discovered in three jumping spider species. The codon usage analyses showed that the evolution of codon usage bias in salticid mitogenomes was affected by both selection and mutational pressure, but selection may have played a more important role. The phylogenetic analyses provided insight into the taxonomy of Colopsus longipalpis (Żabka, 1985). The data presented in this study will improve our understanding of the evolution of mitochondrial genomes within Salticidae. Full article

Ethanol (ETOH) affects many animals’ behaviour in nature; for example, honeybees become more aggressive after consuming ETOH. In previous studies, scientists have used honeybees and fruit flies as models to determine if they showed a strong preference to ETOH. Moreover, ETOH could affect their locomotion and learning abilities. However, whether and how ETOH affects spiders is unclear as of yet. In this study, we used empirical experiments to determine whether spiders showed preference for ETOH, as well as the potential benefits of spiders choosing ETOH, by using a common spider, Myrmarachne gisti, which has a high probability of contacting ETOH in their habitat. In our experiment, M. gisti showed a significant preference for ETOH. Although the success rate of the first attack was significantly decreased when M. gisti were exposed to ETOH, they had a significantly higher predation probability, since fruit flies also showed a significant preference for ETOH. Our findings suggested that ETOH could affect the prey capture efficiency of M. gisti, and indicated that spiders might evolve to use ETOH to locate a potential hunting place. Taken together, our findings suggested that M. gisti evolved to adapt to ETOH and could use it as a signal of the presence of food resources. Full article

The Caribbean Archipelago is a biodiversity hotspot that plays a key role in developing our understanding of how dispersal ability affects species formation. In island systems, species with intermediate dispersal abilities tend to exhibit greater diversity, as may be the case for many of the salticid lineages of the insular Caribbean. Here, we use molecular phylogenetic analyses to infer patterns of relationships and biogeographic history of the Caribbean endemic Antillattus clade (Antillattus, Truncattus, and Petemethis). We test if the timing of origin of the Antillatus clade in the Greater Antilles is congruent with GAARlandia and infer patterns of diversification within the Antillattus clade among Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. Specifically, we evaluate the relative roles of dispersal over land connections, and overwater dispersal events in diversification within the Greater Antilles. Time tree analysis and model-based inference of ancestral ranges estimated the ancestor of the Antillattus clade to be c. 25 Mya, and the best model suggests dispersal via GAARlandia from northern South America to Hispaniola. Hispaniola seems to be the nucleus from which ancestral populations dispersed into Cuba and Puerto Rico via land connections prior to the opening of the Mona Passage and the Windward Passage. Divergences between taxa of the Antillattus clade from Cuban, Hispaniolan, and Puerto Rican populations appear to have originated by vicariance, founder-events and within-island speciation, while multiple dispersal events (founder-events) between Cuba and Hispaniola during the Middle Miocene and the Late Miocene best explain diversity patterns in the genera Antillattus and Truncattus. Full article