Western black widow spiders express state-dependent web-building strategies tailored to the presence of neighbours

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 865-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxence Salomon
Keyword(s):  
Black Widow ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Black Widow Spiders ◽  
Web Building

Discrimination of airborne pheromones by mate-searching male western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus): species- and population-specific responses

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 1027-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael M Kasumovic ◽  
Maydianne C.B Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Biological Species ◽  
Species Discrimination ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Mate Searching ◽  
Latrodectus Hesperus ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Geographical Populations ◽  
Black Widow Spiders ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Web Building

Males of many web-building spiders abandon their webs at maturity to search for a potential mate. Since wandering can be very risky, and females are often widely distributed, males should use any cues that might ensure rapid and accurate location of conspecific females. Although it has long been assumed that mate-searching male spiders locate females using species-specific airborne pheromones released from webs, few studies have experimentally examined this phenomenon in the field. Our results show that male western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin and Ivie, 1935) are attracted to females' webs by an airborne cue released from the web, can distinguish between conspecific and heterospecific females, and can discriminate between webs produced by conspecific females from different geographical populations. The latter result demonstrates a partial premating block to fertilization between populations at the edges of the species range. Complementary interpopulation laboratory matings suggest that there may also be a postmating block to fertilization, as these copulations did not result in viable offspring. This study provides experimental field evidence of male attraction by airborne pheromones released from females' webs, shows the potential importance of these pheromones in species discrimination in black widow spiders, and suggests that northern and southern populations of L. hesperus may be incipient biological species.

Black widow spiders in an urban desert: Population variation in an arthropod pest across metropolitan Phoenix, AZ

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Trubl ◽  
Theresa Gburek ◽  
Lindsay Miles ◽  
J. Chadwick Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Population Variation ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Black Widow Spiders ◽  
Arthropod Pest

scholarly journals Aposematic signals in North American black widows are more conspicuous to predators than to prey

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1104-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Brandley ◽  
Matthew Johnson ◽  
Sönke Johnsen
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Wild Birds ◽  
Ancestral Reconstruction ◽  
Dorsal Region ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
American Black ◽  
Aposematic Signals ◽  
Black Widow Spiders ◽  
Black Color

Abstract The iconic red hourglass of the black widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) is traditionally considered an aposematic signal, yet experimental evidence is lacking. Here, we present data that suggest that black widow coloration may have evolved to be an aposematic signal that is more conspicuous to their vertebrate predators than to their insect prey. In choice experiments with wild birds, we found that the red-and-black coloration deters potential predators: Wild birds were ~3 times less likely to attack a black widow model with an hourglass than one without. Using visual-system appropriate models, we also found that a black widow’s red-and-black color combo is more apparent to a typical bird than a typical insect. Additionally, an ancestral reconstruction reveals that red dorsal coloration is ancestral in black widows and that at some point some North American widows lost their red dorsal coloration. Behaviorally, differences in red dorsal coloration between 2 North American species are accompanied by differences in microhabitat that affects how often a bird will view a black widow’s dorsal region. All observations are consistent with a cost–benefit trade-off of being more conspicuous to predators than to prey. We suggest that limiting detection by prey may help explain why red and black aposematic signals occur frequently in nature.

scholarly journals Know your foe: synanthropic spiders are deterred by semiochemicals of European fire ants

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 210279
Author(s):  
Andreas Fischer ◽  
Yerin Lee ◽  
T'ea Dong ◽  
Gerhard Gries
Keyword(s):  
Filter Paper ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Deterrent Effect ◽  
Lasius Niger ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Latrodectus Hesperus ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Carpenter Ants ◽  
Web Building

Many ants prey on spiders, suggesting that web-building spiders may avoid micro-locations near ant colonies or frequented by foraging ants. Here we tested the hypothesis that ant-derived semiochemicals deter synanthropic spiders. To generate stimuli, we exposed filter paper for 12 h to workers of European fire ants, Myrmica rubra, black garden ants, Lasius niger, or western carpenter ants, Camponotus modoc , and then offered select urban spiders in three-chamber olfactometer bioassays a choice between ant-exposed filter paper and unexposed control filter paper. Semiochemical deposits of M. rubra , but not of L. niger or C. modoc , had a significant deterrent effect on subadults of the false black widow, Steatoda grossa, the black widow, Latrodectus hesperus , and the hobo spider, Eratigena agrestis, as well as a moderate (but statistically not significant) deterrent effect on the cross spider, Araneus diadematus . The deterrent effect caused by semiochemical deposits of M. rubra may be attributable to the aggressive nature and efficient foraging of M. rubra in its invaded North American range, exerting selection pressure on community members to recognize M. rubra semiochemicals and to avoid micro-locations occupied by M. rubra .

scholarly journals Posture controls mechanical tuning in the black widow spider mechanosensory system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Mhatre ◽  
Senthurran Sivalinghem ◽  
Andrew C Mason
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Abdominal Mass ◽  
Mechanical Vibration ◽  
The Body ◽  
Black Widow ◽  
Vibration Sensing ◽  
Black Widow Spiders ◽  
Freely Suspended ◽  
Pendulous Abdomen ◽  
Mechanical Tuning

Spiders rely on mechanical vibration sensing for sexual signalling, prey capture and predator evasion. The sensory organs underlying vibration detection, called slit sensilla, resemble cracks in the spider's exoskeleton, and are distributed all over the spider body. Those crucial to sensing web- and other substrate-borne vibrations are called lyriform organs and are densely distributed around leg joints. It has been shown that forces that cause bending at leg joints also activate these lyriform organs. Little is known of how the biomechanics of the body of a freely-suspended spider in its natural posture interact with vibrations introduced into the body and how this affects vibration perception. Female black widow spiders, in particular, have a striking body-form; their long thin legs support a large pendulous abdomen. Here, we show that in their natural posture, the large abdominal mass of black widow females, interacts with the spring-like behaviour of their leg joints and determines the mechanical behaviour of different leg joints. Furthermore, we find that adopting different body postures enables females to alter both the level and tuning of the mechanical input to lyriform organs. Therefore, we suggest that posture may be used to flexibly and reversibly focus attention to different classes or components of web vibration. Postural effects thus emphasize the dynamic loop of interactions between behaviour and perception, i.e. between 'brain' and body.

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