J. Med. Entomol. Vol. 15, nos. 5-6: 570-571 4 September 1979

© J'J78 b)' the Bishop Museum

SPIDER PREDATION (ARANEAE: SALTICIDAE) ON CORIACEUS (ACARINA: ), WITH A SURVEY OF THE PREDATORS OF THE GENUS ORNITHODOROS

Abstmct: A spider predator, Phidippus rimatm', is recorded from northern California for the argasid Ornithodoros cor-' with several active O. coriaceus. Within I min the spider Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jme/article/15/5-6/570/2219555 by guest on 30 September 2021 iaceus and is the 2nd predator recorded for this species. A sur- attacked a nymphal tick larger in size than itself, in the vey of the predators of the genus Ornithodoros is given, manner previously described. The tick struggled but within 4 min its activity ceased. Thereupon we removed The literature on nat.ural predators (particularly in- the tick from the spider's grasp and prodded it; no re- vertebrate predators) of the genus Ornithodor'os is sparse sponse occurred. Thus, the spider venom, pl'Obably a and widely scattered throughout the entomological and proteolytic enzyme (P. J. Marer, 1977, pel's. commun.), ornithological literature. Indeed, this appears to be the appears to kill O. cotiaceus nymphs quite rapidly. case for the whole of the Ixodoidea, as Jenkins (1964, Only 3 oLher records of natural spider predators of Bul!. World Health Organ. Supp!. vo!. 30, 150 p.) re- appear to exist. Bishopp (1913, U.S. Dep. Agric. veals. We herein report a spider predator of the genus Cire. No. 170: 9) mentioned "... some of the house- Ornithodoros, and survey other predators of the genus. inhabiting spiders pl'Obably destl'OY limited numbers of Ornithodoros coriaceus Koch, the "pajaroello" tick, is the tick [Argas miniatus] in the later stages," in the United widely distributed in the coastal and inland foothills of States. Bishopp's A. miniatus may be another, different, California, as well as being present in Nevada (R. L. member of the Argas persicus complex, as Kohls, Hoog- Taylor, 1977, pers. commun.) and Mexico (Loomis, straal, Clifford & Kaiser (1970, Ann. Entomo!. Soc. Am. Schmidtmann & Oliver, 1974, Calif. Vector Views 21: 63: 590-606), in their redescription of A. miniatus, do 57-62). A recent study by Schmidtmann, Bushnell, not record it from the United States. Sautet (1936, Ann. Loomis, Oliver & Theis (1976, J. Med. Entomo!. 13: Parasito!. Hum. Compo 14: 126-29) recorded the do- 292-99) associated the pajaroello tick with the exposure miciliary spider Teutana triangulosa (Theridiidae), now of range cattle to epizootic bovine abortion (EBA) in Steatoda triangulosa (Kaston, 1972, How to Know the Spi- northern California. ders, 2nd ed., p. 116, W. C. Brown Co., Dubuque, Iowa, On 18 Aug. 1977 at midday, while collecting individ- 289 p.), attacking Rhipicephalus sanguineus in homes in uals of this tick species for further studies on EBA, we Europe. In Australia, Wilkinson (1970, loc. cit.) observed encountered a single immature or small female spider, a Iycosid spider dragging a tethered BooPhilus down into apparently Phidippus rimator Walckenaer (det. P. J. Mar- its burrow. er, Univ. California, Davis), attacking a single nymphal Only lather natural predator of O. cmiaceus has been O. coriaceus. This individual was one of several O. cori- recorded. Garcia (1963, unpub!. Ph.D. thesis, Univ. Cal- aceus ticks attracted to a dry ice (C02)-emitting pitfall ifornia, Berkeley, p. 55-56) noted that. Scelopmus occi- trap designed specifically for the collection of O. cori- dentalis, the western fence lizard, would feed readily on aceus (Hokama & Howarth, 1977, J. Med. Entomo!. 13: this tick species in the field as the ticks approached a

627-28). The trap was placed under an interior live oak CO2 source. Thus, predators such as spiders and lizards (Quet·cus wislizenii) on the Ferro Hunting Club property, may attack O. coriaceus individuals as they approach a located 2.5 km west of County Road 78, between Capay host under natural conditions. It is doubtful, though, and Guinda, Yolo Co., California. t.hat either of these spiders or lizards have O. coriaceus While collecting O. cmiaceus in the inland foothills of as a major source of food, since the tick spends the great- California, one of us (S.K.A.) had previously seen (1976- er portion of its life cryptically colored and quiescent in 1977) several spiders of unidentified species running soil and loose leaflitter in and around host bedding sites. over leaf litter under oak trees. This individual spider Few other records of natural predators on the genus caught. our at.tention because it was clasping the nymphal Ornithodoros exist. Individuals of the Ornithodoros mou- tick, which was emerging from the soil, with its palps bata complex are fed upon by various predat.ory insects and chelicerae along the right lateral edge of the tick's (e.g., Hemiptera: Wellman, 1906, J. Trop. Med. 9: 97; abdomen. The spider was attempting to drag the tick Lepidoptera: Vollmer, 1931, Z. Angew. Entomo!. 18: away from the tick's course toward the trap. As we cap- 161-74; Neuroptera: Ghesquiere, 1922, Ann. Soc. tured the spider it released its hold on the tick. In a Beige. Med. Trop. 2: 277-83; Hymenoptera: Hoog- similar observation, Wilkinson (1970, J. Med. Entomo!. straal, 1956, African Ixodoidea. I. Ticks of the Sudan. 7: 493-96) recorded 2 saIticid spiders wandering around U.S. Nav. Med. Res. Unit No.3, Cairo, Egypt, Res. Rep. a tick-tether apparatus in the field in Canada, but these NM 005 050.29.07). Several bird and mammalian pred- spiders did not attack his tethered Dermacentor andersoni. ators of the complex were referenced in Jenkins (1964, Upon return to the laboratory, we immediately fed loc. cit.). Larvae of a species in the Ornithodoros capensis the spider water and several wax moth larvae (Galleria complex have been found in the gut of a Galapagos mellonella). Three weeks later, with no further food of- Island finch (Amadon, 1967, Condor 69: 311). The fered, we placed the spider in a warm enamel pan along 1975-1976 Annual Report (p. 19) of the Veterinary Re- 1979 Ault & Elliott: Spider predation on Ornithodoros 571

search Institute at Onder"stepoort in the Repub]ic of We wish to thank Dr P. J. MareI', formerly at the Uni- South Africa mentioned the experimental use of do- versity of California at Davis, for identification of the mestic bantam fowl in the control of Ornithodoros savignyi spider; Drs R. K. Washino, E. C. Loomis, and J. H. Theis U. D. Bezuidenhout, 1977, pers. commun.). of U. C. Davis for helpful comments on the manuscript; In summary, previous published records of natural and Dr D. G. McKercher, U. C. Davis, for financial sup- spider predators of the genus Ornithodoros are scarce. port. Please address reprint requests to the senior au- Phidippus nmatol' is recorded as a spider predator for the thor, Department of Entomology, University of Califor- genus Ornithodoros and is the 2nd predator recorded for nia, Davis, California 95616, USA.-Steven K. AuIt, Omithodol'os col'iaceus. Departments of Entomology and Veterinary Microbiol- This work was supported in part by funds from LDR ogy, and Kathleen D. Elliott, Department of Veterinary Epizootic Bovine Abortion Grant No. 1645, California Microbiology, University of California, Davis, California

Experiment Station, University of California, Schoo] of 95616, USA. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jme/article/15/5-6/570/2219555 by guest on 30 September 2021 Veterinary Medicine.

J. Med. Eotomol. Vol. 15, oos. 5-6: 571-572 4 September 1979

© 1978 by .he Bishop Museum

NONSPECIFIC IMMUNOFLUORESCENT STAINING OF MOSQUITO SALIVARY GLANDS

Abstmct: Intense nonspecific immunofluorescent staining of cells in the acinar lobes of nonarbovirus-infected Aedes aegypti Arbovirus-free Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (Santo Do- salivary glands was demonstrated. This staining seemed to be mingo, West Indies strain, F'2) were collected daily upon age-dependent, and it was intermittent in appearance. emergence to provide females of known age; these were maintained in 0.472-liter (I-pint) carton cages at 23°C with a 16:8 L:D photoperiod. The mosquitoes were not Antigen detection in situ by immunofluorescent tech- permitted a blood meal, but they were maintained on a nique (IF) is an invaluable tool in pathogenesis studies 3% dextrose solution. From 1-14 days postemergence, involving hosts (Doi, Shirasaka & Sasa, 1967, glands were dissected into 0.1 M PBS, air"-dried, and Jpn. J. Exp. Med. 37: 227-38; Chernesky & McClean, fixed in acetone at -20°C for 10 min. Subsequently, 1968, Can. J. Microbiol. 15: 1399-408; Gaidamovich, glands were stained for 30 min at 37°C in a humidity Khutoretskaya, Lvova & Sveshnikova, 1973, Interviro]- chamber with mouse anti-yellow fever antibodies con- ogy 1: 193-200; Gubler & Rosen, 1976, Am. j. Trop. jugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Slides were then Med. Hyg. 25: 146-50). However, nonspecific immu- washed in PBS for 10 min, air-dried, and coverslips nofluorescent staining (NSS) of tissues or organs may added using a PBS-glycerin (pH 8) mounting medium. hamper pathogenesis studies. Aedes aegypti salivary Antibodies to yellow fever and Flanders viruses were glands are especially prone to NSS which may be of suf- prepared by hyperimmunization of mice (Brandt, ficient intensity to hinder IF visualization of viral antigen Buescher & Hetrick, 1967, Am. j. Trop. Med. Hyg. 16: (Yuill, Univ. Wisconsin, pers. commun.; Gubler, NAM- 339-47). Antibodies to dengue 2 were obtained from a RU-2, Jakarta, pers. commun.). In previous studies de- human convalescent-phase serum sample. A Leitz-Wetz- lineating tropisms of La Crosse virus in Aedes triseriatus lar fluorescence microscope using a HBO Osram (Beaty & Thompson, 1976, Am. j. Trop. Med. H yg. 25: 200-W mercury vapor light with a KP490 interference 505-12; Beaty & Thompson, 1978,j. Med. Entomol. 14: plate-K510 barrier filter filtration system was used to 499-503), NSS of salivary glands appeared to be an age- examine the glands. dependent phenomenon. The objectives of these pres- Subsequent to demonstration of NSS of Ae. aegypti ent studies were to characterize NSS in adult Ae. aegypti salivary glands, the following experiments were con- salivary glands and to determine whether it could be ducted in attempts to further characterize and to mini- easily minimized or eliminated. mize or eliminate the NSS:

TABLEI. Appearance of nonspecific immunofluorescent staining in cells of the acinar lobes of Aedes aegypti salivary glands.

DAYS POSTEMERGENCE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 II 12 13 14 No.* 0/7 0/7 0/5 0/7 0/4 3/8 6/6 4/8 0/7 0/8 7/7 6/8 0/6 1/8 % 0 0 0 0 0 37.6 100 50 0 0 100 75.0 0 12.5

* No. of specimens with vividly stained salivary gland cells/total specimens examined.