DOCSLIB.ORG

Thesis Template

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Thesis Template Mate searching and choosiness are shaped by spatial structure and social information in western black widows by Catherine Elizabeth Scott A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto © Copyright by Catherine Scott 2020 Mate searching and choosiness are shaped by spatial structure and social information in western black widows Catherine Scott Doctor of Philosophy Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 2020 Abstract The relative importance of different episodes of sexual selection for fitness varies with environmental and social context, so inferring the net effect of selection requires understanding how each mechanism operates in nature. Theory predicts that links between ecology, information availability, and mechanisms of sexual selection can have substantive effects on plasticity and behaviour, but these links are rarely demonstrated in the field. Using the western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus, I investigated how ecological factors including demography, OSR, and spatial structure influence male and female reproductive behaviour in the field, and how these are linked by chemical information. I found that the OSR is extremely male biased for most of the mating season, and this imposes strong selection on males to find females before rivals. Mate searching males use social information, likely encoded by chemicals on silk draglines produced by rivals, to efficiently locate females even in the absence of female sex pheromone. In the face of intense scramble competition over access to receptive adult females, I found that males commonly guard and mate with subadult females using a recently-described alternative reproductive tactic: immature mating. Success at this tactic requires contests with rivals, which likely favours different traits than does pure scramble competition over adults, and may help to maintain extreme variation in male size. Moreover, because subadults apparently do not produce ii volatile chemical cues that would allow males to locate them, the clumped spatial distribution of females in the field is a critical factor influencing the feasibility of immature mating; males only found subadults when there were signaling adults nearby. I also found that for females, proximity to conspecifics during development and early adulthood influences encounter rates with potential mates, such that some females risk remaining unmated in nature. Consequently, females adjust mate-choice decisions in response to chemical information about their local social environment; females in relatively isolated locations display decreased choosiness relative to females in close proximity to conspecifics. Together these studies provide insights into how mate competition and mate choice, key factors driving sexual selection, are related to the spatiotemporal distribution of conspecifics in a natural population. iii Acknowledgements I sincerely thank the Tsawout First Nation for allowing me to do fieldwork on their beautiful lands. I have been so privileged to work with the black widows on the beach and T̸IX̱ EṈ since 2010 and am very grateful to the former lands managers and current band manager Eva Wilson for generously facilitating this work. I also wish to acknowledge the land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, it is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work here. A great many people have contributed to my research, supported me personally and professionally, and helped me in a wide variety of meaningful ways during my PhD. I want to express my deepest thanks to the following groups and individuals: To Team Black Widow: Catherine & Doug Antone, Joe Lapp, Robb Bennett, Roy Dunn, Sean Lambert, Betty Kipp, Dora Sardas, Kristen Cain, Christy Peterson, Christy Peterson, Raphael Royaute, Dawn Bazely, Woodrow Setzer, Pierre Robillard, John Barthelme, Nemo de Jong, Mike Boers & Tanya Stemberger, Sina Rastegar, Sarah Langer, Sidnee & John Scott, Stephen & Linda Lambert, Staffan Lindgren, Amanda Yee, Rob Higgins, Tonia Harris, Tanya Jones, Joe O’Franklin, Dezene Huber, Tracey Birch, Peggy Muddles, Regine & Gerhard Gries, Gwylim Blackburn & Samantha Vibert, Alex & Karla Antone, Gil Wizen, Gwen Pearson, Joan Andrade, Kate Compton, Peggy McCann, Peter Andrade, Rick Redus, Robyn Raban, Shelley Barkley, Stewart, Geoff Bennett, Kyle Cassidy, Colin & Heather McCann, Jonathan Meiburg, Lori Weidenhammer, Diana Davis, Ray Scanlon, Ashley Bradford, Ed Morris, Robert Cruickshank, Marc Rashinski, James Petruzzi, Joseph Peter McNamara, Ariel Ng, Robert Neylon, Auriel Fournier, Victoria Nations, Leah Ramsay, Tom Pearce, Chloe Gerak, Scott Severs, Angie Macias, Nick Spencer, Thomas Astle, Luna Nicolas Bradford Ley, Peter Midford, Laurel Ramseyer, Morgan Vis, Tom Pardue, Scott Schrage, Kelly Brenner, Karen Yukich, Charmaine Condy, Amy Parachnowitsch, Catherine Scott, Christine Rock, Jason Parker-Burlingham, Jonathan Kade, Joseph Peter iv McNamara, Joshua Erikson, Juniper English, Nick Spencer, Robert Cruickshank, Sabrina Caine, Suran TheStorm, Richard Dashnau, Stephen Heard, Holly Fraser, Lynne Kelly, Roberta Chan, Kat Cruickshank, Meera Lee Sethi, Mike Hrabar, Tiffany Jacobs, Connie Larochelle, Willow English, David Steen, Michelle Reeve, Tone Killick, David Esopi, Antonia Guidotti, Elaine Wong, Lisa Wrede, Naomi Gonzales, Don Campbell, Matt Masterson, Paul Manning, Casey Peter, Dave Rich, Jessica Olin, Kate Rey, Katie Russell, Shari McDowell, Suzanne Spinelli, Christina Tran, Cindy Wu, Aaron Soley, Chris Garbutt, Greg Randolph, Lila Robinwood, Eric Damon Walters, The Spider Chick, and Steve Waycott. Thank you all so much for your generous contributions to our crowdfunding campaign, which made the 2017 field season possible and was critical to the success of this work. To Maydianne Andrade, for being an incredibly supportive supervisor, wonderful teacher, and generous mentor. To Darryl Gwynne and Andrew Mason, for providing valuable discussion and feedback on my work as members of my supervisory committee. To Eileen Hebets, Joel Levine, and John Ratcliffe, for helpful comments and stimulating discussion as members of my PhD examining committee. To Sean McCann, for being my partner and collaborator in all things. Among other things, thank you for spending many long nights with me watching spiders on the beach, and many long days driving back and forth across the continent, moving to (and from) Toronto and collecting black widows from BC to Texas. To Mike Boers and Tanya Stemberger (and Jasmine the cat), for sharing their home with me for the final two years of my PhD, and for being my family in Toronto. I am so grateful for your friendship, for your help with data wrangling and other thesis-related issues large and small, and for all the ways you have supported me over the last several years. To Claudia and Darren Copley (and Darwin and Wallace the cats), for sharing their home with us and our spiders, and providing logistical, moral, and libationary support during the 2017 field season. v To Peggy McCann, for sharing her home with us and our spiders during the 2016 field season. Thank you Peggy for being so supportive of me and Sean as we pursue our dreams, and for cheerfully spreading the word that spiders are our friends. To John and Sidnee Scott, for loaning us a car for the 2017 field season, and countless other contributions that have supported my research directly and indirectly. Thank you Mum and Dad for everything, including your enthusiastic support of my single-minded passion for spiders. To Sina Rastegar, for helping me to purchase a new laptop, without which I would not have been able to finish this thesis. Thank you for being such a kind and generous friend. To Samantha Vibert and Gwylim Blackburn, for friendship, mentorship, and hospitality ever since I first started studying spiders. Thank you Sam and Gwylim especially for providing a restful and much-needed holiday destination each reading week during my PhD. To Peggy Muddles and Gil Wizen, for friendship, moral support, spidering, delicious meals, fun conversations, cheesecake, and ice cream. Thank you for being such wonderful friends. To the students in BIOD53 in winter 2017: Joshua Carrière, Mariaelena Guarrasi, Jason Hoac, Zohal Kerami, Vicky Nguyen, Brittany Robinson, Roxanne Santos, Michael Swift, Thi Truong and Nicole Wong, for their enthusiastic contribution to data collection for Chapter 1. It was such a pleasure to work with you and to support your experience doing animal behaviour research in Sean’s class. To the Andrade Lab: Luciana Baruffaldi, Charmaine Condy, Sheena Fry, Monica Mowery, and Nishant Singh, for friendship, constructive feedback, and providing a truly supportive and positive lab community. Thank you for everything. I could not have asked for better labmates. Ariella Kong, Archchana Rajmohan, Ramanja Pakirathan, and Yousef Safar, for their masterful work keeping things running efficiently as lab managers, and to all of the undergraduate lab assistants for their hard work and dedication to rearing spiders and keeping the lab clean and functioning. Your efforts are critical, and much appreciated. vi To Sumaya Dano, Ajay David, Nimra Javaid, Dilakshan Srikanthan, and Amanda Yee, for their enthusiasm and dedication
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Archiv Für Naturgeschichte
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Archiv für Naturgeschichte Jahr/Year: 1905 Band/Volume: 71-2_2 Autor(en)/Author(s): Lucas Robert Artikel/Article: Arachnida für 1904. 925-993 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Arachnida fiir 1904. Bearbeitet von Dr. Robert Lucas. A. Publikationen (Autoren alphabetisch). d'Agostino, A. P. Prima nota dei Ragni deU'Avelliiiese. Avellino 1/8 4 pp. Banks, Nathan (1). Some spiders and mites from Bermuda Islands. Trans. Connect. Acad. vol. XI, 1903 p. 267—275. — {%), The Arachnida of Florida. Proc. Acad. Philad. Jan. 1904 p. 120—147, 2 pls. (VII u. VIII). — (3). Some Arachnida from CaUfornia. Proc. Californ. Acad. III No. 13. p. 331—374, pls. 38—41. — (4). Arachnida (in) Alaska; from the Harriman Alaska Ex- pedition vol. VIII p. 37—45, 11 pls. — Abdruck der Publikation von 1900 aus d. Proc. Washington Acad. vol. II p. 477—486. Berthoumieu, L' Abbe. Revision de l'entomologie dans 1' Antiquite. Arachnides p. 197—200 (Chelifer, Scorpiones, Galeodes, Aranea, Ixodes, Tyroglyphus et Cheyletus). Eev. Sei. Bourbonnais 1904, p. 167. Bolton, H. The Palaeontology of the Lancashire Goal Measures. Manchester. Mus. Owens Coli. Publ. 50. Mus. Handb. p. 378—415. — Abdruck aus Trans. Manchester geol. min. Soc. vol. 28. Brown, Rob. (I). Rectifications tardives mais necessaires. Proc- verb. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, vol. 59 p. LXVIII—LXX. — Auch über Arachniden. Calman, W. T. Arachnida in Zool. Record for 1903 vol. XL. XI 47 pp. Cambridge, F. 0. Pickard. 1901. Further Contributions towards the Knowledge of the Arachnida of Epping Forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Supraspecific Names in Spider Systematic and Their Nomenclatural Problems
    Arachnologische Mitteilungen / Arachnology Letters 55: 42-45 Karlsruhe, April 2018 Supraspecific names in spider systematic and their nomenclatural problems Yuri M. Marusik doi: 10.30963/aramit5507 Abstract. Three different types of the names used in spider systematics are recognized and discussed: 1) typified taxonomic names, 2) non-typified taxonomic names, and 3) non-taxonomic names. Typified names are those from genus to superfamily group names; they are regulated by the ICZN. Non-typified names are used for taxonomic groups higher than superfamilies (e.g., Haplogynae, Mesothelae, etc.); they are not regulated by the ICZN but have an authorship, a fixed year of publication and are incorporated in a hierarchical classification. Non-taxonomic names are not regulated by any formal rules, unranked, have no authorship or description, and are non-typified. Some difficulties connected with the non-typified names in spider systematics are briefly discussed. Senior synonyms of some non-typified and non-taxonomic names are discussed, and suggestions are given on how to deal with the non-typified names lacking senior synonyms. Keywords: clade name, non-typified name, typified name. Zusammenfassung. Supraspezifische Namen in der Spinnensystematik und ihre nomenklatorischen Probleme. Drei verschie- dene Namenstypen in der Spinnensystematik werden diskutiert: 1) typisierte taxonomische Namen, 2) nicht-typisierte taxonomische Namen sowie 3) nicht-taxonomische Namen. Typisierte Namen reichen von Gattungen bis zu Überfamilien und sind durch die ICZN reguliert. Nicht-typisierte Namen werden für taxonomische Einheiten oberhalb von Überfamilien verwendet (z. B. Haplogynae, Meso- thelae), sind nicht durch die ICZN reguliert, haben aber Autoren, ein Erstbeschreibungsjahr und werden in hierarchischen Klassifikatio- nen verwendet.
    [Show full text]
  • Sexual Selection Research on Spiders: Progress and Biases
    Biol. Rev. (2005), 80, pp. 363–385. f Cambridge Philosophical Society 363 doi:10.1017/S1464793104006700 Printed in the United Kingdom Sexual selection research on spiders: progress and biases Bernhard A. Huber* Zoological Research Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany (Received 7 June 2004; revised 25 November 2004; accepted 29 November 2004) ABSTRACT The renaissance of interest in sexual selection during the last decades has fuelled an extraordinary increase of scientific papers on the subject in spiders. Research has focused both on the process of sexual selection itself, for example on the signals and various modalities involved, and on the patterns, that is the outcome of mate choice and competition depending on certain parameters. Sexual selection has most clearly been demonstrated in cases involving visual and acoustical signals but most spiders are myopic and mute, relying rather on vibrations, chemical and tactile stimuli. This review argues that research has been biased towards modalities that are relatively easily accessible to the human observer. Circumstantial and comparative evidence indicates that sexual selection working via substrate-borne vibrations and tactile as well as chemical stimuli may be common and widespread in spiders. Pattern-oriented research has focused on several phenomena for which spiders offer excellent model objects, like sexual size dimorphism, nuptial feeding, sexual cannibalism, and sperm competition. The accumulating evidence argues for a highly complex set of explanations for seemingly uniform patterns like size dimorphism and sexual cannibalism. Sexual selection appears involved as well as natural selection and mechanisms that are adaptive in other contexts only. Sperm competition has resulted in a plethora of morpho- logical and behavioural adaptations, and simplistic models like those linking reproductive morphology with behaviour and sperm priority patterns in a straightforward way are being replaced by complex models involving an array of parameters.
    [Show full text]
  • SEXUAL CONFLICT in ARACHNIDS Ph.D
    MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY AND ZOOLOGY SEXUAL CONFLICT IN ARACHNIDS Ph.D. Dissertation Lenka Sentenská Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Stanislav Pekár, Ph.D. Brno 2017 Bibliographic Entry Author Mgr. Lenka Sentenská Faculty of Science, Masaryk University Department of Botany and Zoology Title of Thesis: Sexual conflict in arachnids Degree programme: Biology Field of Study: Ecology Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Stanislav Pekár, Ph.D. Academic Year: 2016/2017 Number of Pages: 199 Keywords: Sexual selection; Spiders; Scorpions; Sexual cannibalism; Mating plugs; Genital morphology; Courtship Bibliografický záznam Autor: Mgr. Lenka Sentenská Přírodovědecká fakulta, Masarykova univerzita Ústav botaniky a zoologie Název práce: Konflikt mezi pohlavími u pavoukovců Studijní program: Biologie Studijní obor: Ekologie Vedoucí práce: prof. Mgr. Stanislav Pekár, Ph.D. Akademický rok: 2016/2017 Počet stran: 199 Klíčová slova: Pohlavní výběr; Pavouci; Štíři; Sexuální kanibalismus; Pohlavní zátky; Morfologie genitálií; Námluvy ABSTRACT Sexual conflict is pervasive in all sexually reproducing taxa and is especially intense in carnivorous species, because the interaction between males and females encompasses the danger of getting killed instead of mated. Carnivorous arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions, are notoriously known for their cannibalistic tendencies. Studies of the conflict between arachnid males and females focus mainly on spiders because of the frequent occurrence of sexual cannibalism and unique genital morphology of both sexes. The morphology, in combination with common polyandry, further promotes the sexual conflict in form of an intense sperm competition and male tactics to reduce or avoid it. Scorpion females usually mate only once per litter, but the conflict between sexes is also intense, as females can be very aggressive, and so males engage in complicated mating dances including various components considered to reduce female aggression and elicit her cooperation.
    [Show full text]
  • Burmese Amber Taxa
    Burmese (Myanmar) amber taxa, on-line supplement v.2021.1 Andrew J. Ross 21/06/2021 Principal Curator of Palaeobiology Department of Natural Sciences National Museums Scotland Chambers St. Edinburgh EH1 1JF E-mail: [email protected] Dr Andrew Ross | National Museums Scotland (nms.ac.uk) This taxonomic list is a supplement to Ross (2021) and follows the same format. It includes taxa described or recorded from the beginning of January 2021 up to the end of May 2021, plus 3 species that were named in 2020 which were missed. Please note that only higher taxa that include new taxa or changed/corrected records are listed below. The list is until the end of May, however some papers published in June are listed in the ‘in press’ section at the end, but taxa from these are not yet included in the checklist. As per the previous on-line checklists, in the bibliography page numbers have been added (in blue) to those papers that were published on-line previously without page numbers. New additions or changes to the previously published list and supplements are marked in blue, corrections are marked in red. In Ross (2021) new species of spider from Wunderlich & Müller (2020) were listed as being authored by both authors because there was no indication next to the new name to indicate otherwise, however in the introduction it was indicated that the author of the new taxa was Wunderlich only. Where there have been subsequent taxonomic changes to any of these species the authorship has been corrected below.
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Insights Into the Phylogenetic Structure of the Spider
    MolecularBlackwell Publishing Ltd insights into the phylogenetic structure of the spider genus Theridion (Araneae, Theridiidae) and the origin of the Hawaiian Theridion-like fauna MIQUEL A. ARNEDO, INGI AGNARSSON & ROSEMARY G. GILLESPIE Accepted: 9 March 2007 Arnedo, M. A., Agnarsson, I. & Gillespie, R. G. (2007). Molecular insights into the phylo- doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2007.00280.x genetic structure of the spider genus Theridion (Araneae, Theridiidae) and the origin of the Hawaiian Theridion-like fauna. — Zoologica Scripta, 36, 337–352. The Hawaiian happy face spider (Theridion grallator Simon, 1900), named for a remarkable abdominal colour pattern resembling a smiling face, has served as a model organism for under- standing the generation of genetic diversity. Theridion grallator is one of 11 endemic Hawaiian species of the genus reported to date. Asserting the origin of island endemics informs on the evolutionary context of diversification, and how diversity has arisen on the islands. Studies on the genus Theridion in Hawaii, as elsewhere, have long been hampered by its large size (> 600 species) and poor definition. Here we report results of phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of five genes conducted on five diverse species of Hawaiian Theridion, along with the most intensive sampling of Theridiinae analysed to date. Results indicate that the Hawai- ian Islands were colonised by two independent Theridiinae lineages, one of which originated in the Americas. Both lineages have undergone local diversification in the archipelago and have convergently evolved similar bizarre morphs. Our findings confirm para- or polyphyletic status of the largest Theridiinae genera: Theridion, Achaearanea and Chrysso.
    [Show full text]
  • Spiders in Africa - Hisham K
    ANIMAL RESOURCES AND DIVERSITY IN AFRICA - Spiders In Africa - Hisham K. El-Hennawy SPIDERS IN AFRICA Hisham K. El-Hennawy Arachnid Collection of Egypt, Cairo, Egypt Keywords: Spiders, Africa, habitats, behavior, predation, mating habits, spiders enemies, venomous spiders, biological control, language, folklore, spider studies. Contents 1. Introduction 1.1. Africa, the continent of the largest web spinning spider known 1.2. Africa, the continent of the largest orb-web ever known 2. Spiders in African languages and folklore 2.1. The names for “spider” in Africa 2.2. Spiders in African folklore 2.3. Scientific names of spider taxa derived from African languages 3. How many spider species are recorded from Africa? 3.1. Spider families represented in Africa by 75-100% of world species 3.2. Spider families represented in Africa by more than 400 species 4. Where do spiders live in Africa? 4.1. Agricultural lands 4.2. Deserts 4.3. Mountainous areas 4.4. Wetlands 4.5. Water spiders 4.6. Spider dispersal 4.7. Living with others – Commensalism 5. The behavior of spiders 5.1. Spiders are predatory animals 5.2. Mating habits of spiders 6. Enemies of spiders 6.1. The first case of the species Pseudopompilus humboldti: 6.2. The second case of the species Paracyphononyx ruficrus: 7. Development of spider studies in Africa 8. Venomous spiders of Africa 9. BeneficialUNESCO role of spiders in Africa – EOLSS 10. Conclusion AcknowledgmentsSAMPLE CHAPTERS Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary There are 7935 species, 1116 genera, and 79 families of spiders recorded from Africa. This means that more than 72% of the known spider families of the world are represented in the continent, while only 19% of the described spider species are ©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) ANIMAL RESOURCES AND DIVERSITY IN AFRICA - Spiders In Africa - Hisham K.
    [Show full text]
  • A Protocol for Online Documentation of Spider Biodiversity Inventories Applied to a Mexican Tropical Wet Forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae)
    Zootaxa 4722 (3): 241–269 ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/zt/ Article ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2020 Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4722.3.2 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6AC6E70B-6E6A-4D46-9C8A-2260B929E471 A protocol for online documentation of spider biodiversity inventories applied to a Mexican tropical wet forest (Araneae, Araneomorphae) FERNANDO ÁLVAREZ-PADILLA1, 2, M. ANTONIO GALÁN-SÁNCHEZ1 & F. JAVIER SALGUEIRO- SEPÚLVEDA1 1Laboratorio de Aracnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Comparada, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Colonia Copilco el Bajo. C. P. 04510. Del. Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México. E-mail: [email protected] 2Corresponding author Abstract Spider community inventories have relatively well-established standardized collecting protocols. Such protocols set rules for the orderly acquisition of samples to estimate community parameters and to establish comparisons between areas. These methods have been tested worldwide, providing useful data for inventory planning and optimal sampling allocation efforts. The taxonomic counterpart of biodiversity inventories has received considerably less attention. Species lists and their relative abundances are the only link between the community parameters resulting from a biotic inventory and the biology of the species that live there. However, this connection is lost or speculative at best for species only partially identified (e. g., to genus but not to species). This link is particularly important for diverse tropical regions were many taxa are undescribed or little known such as spiders. One approach to this problem has been the development of biodiversity inventory websites that document the morphology of the species with digital images organized as standard views.
    [Show full text]
  • Araneae, Theridiidae)
    Phelsuma 14; 49-89 Theridiid or cobweb spiders of the granitic Seychelles islands (Araneae, Theridiidae) MICHAEL I. SAARISTO Zoological Museum, Centre for Biodiversity University of Turku,FIN-20014 Turku FINLAND [micsaa@utu.fi ] Abstract. - This paper describes 8 new genera, namely Argyrodella (type species Argyrodes pusillus Saaristo, 1978), Bardala (type species Achearanea labarda Roberts, 1982), Nanume (type species Theridion naneum Roberts, 1983), Robertia (type species Theridion braueri (Simon, 1898), Selimus (type species Theridion placens Blackwall, 1877), Sesato (type species Sesato setosa n. sp.), Spinembolia (type species Theridion clabnum Roberts, 1978), and Stoda (type species Theridion libudum Roberts, 1978) and one new species (Sesato setosa n. sp.). The following new combinations are also presented: Phycosoma spundana (Roberts, 1978) n. comb., Argyrodella pusillus (Saaristo, 1978) n. comb., Rhomphaea recurvatus (Saaristo, 1978) n. comb., Rhomphaea barycephalus (Roberts, 1983) n. comb., Bardala labarda (Roberts, 1982) n. comb., Moneta coercervus (Roberts, 1978) n. comb., Nanume naneum (Roberts, 1983) n. comb., Parasteatoda mundula (L. Koch, 1872) n. comb., Robertia braueri (Simon, 1898). n. comb., Selimus placens (Blackwall, 1877) n. comb., Sesato setosa n. gen, n. sp., Spinembolia clabnum (Roberts, 1978) n. comb., and Stoda libudum (Roberts, 1978) n. comb.. Also the opposite sex of four species are described for the fi rst time, namely females of Phycosoma spundana (Roberts, 1978) and P. menustya (Roberts, 1983) and males of Spinembolia clabnum (Roberts, 1978) and Stoda libudum (Roberts, 1978). Finally the morphology and terminology of the male and female secondary genital organs are discussed. Key words. - copulatory organs, morphology, Seychelles, spiders, Theridiidae. INTRODUCTION Theridiids or comb-footed spiders are very variable in general apperance often with considerable sexual dimorphism.
    [Show full text]
  • Arthropods of Elm Fork Preserve
    Arthropods of Elm Fork Preserve Arthropods are characterized by having jointed limbs and exoskeletons. They include a diverse assortment of creatures: Insects, spiders, crustaceans (crayfish, crabs, pill bugs), centipedes and millipedes among others. Column Headings Scientific Name: The phenomenal diversity of arthropods, creates numerous difficulties in the determination of species. Positive identification is often achieved only by specialists using obscure monographs to ‘key out’ a species by examining microscopic differences in anatomy. For our purposes in this survey of the fauna, classification at a lower level of resolution still yields valuable information. For instance, knowing that ant lions belong to the Family, Myrmeleontidae, allows us to quickly look them up on the Internet and be confident we are not being fooled by a common name that may also apply to some other, unrelated something. With the Family name firmly in hand, we may explore the natural history of ant lions without needing to know exactly which species we are viewing. In some instances identification is only readily available at an even higher ranking such as Class. Millipedes are in the Class Diplopoda. There are many Orders (O) of millipedes and they are not easily differentiated so this entry is best left at the rank of Class. A great deal of taxonomic reorganization has been occurring lately with advances in DNA analysis pointing out underlying connections and differences that were previously unrealized. For this reason, all other rankings aside from Family, Genus and Species have been omitted from the interior of the tables since many of these ranks are in a state of flux.
    [Show full text]
  • Tarantulas and Social Spiders
    Tarantulas and Social Spiders: A Tale of Sex and Silk by Jonathan Bull BSc (Hons) MSc ICL Thesis Presented to the Institute of Biology of The University of Nottingham in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Nottingham May 2012 DEDICATION To my parents… …because they both said to dedicate it to the other… I dedicate it to both ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Sara Goodacre for her guidance and support. I am also hugely endebted to Dr Keith Spriggs who became my mentor in the field of RNA and without whom my understanding of the field would have been but a fraction of what it is now. Particular thanks go to Professor John Brookfield, an expert in the field of biological statistics and data retrieval. Likewise with Dr Susan Liddell for her proteomics assistance, a truly remarkable individual on par with Professor Brookfield in being able to simplify even the most complex techniques and analyses. Finally, I would really like to thank Janet Beccaloni for her time and resources at the Natural History Museum, London, permitting me access to the collections therein; ten years on and still a delight. Finally, amongst the greats, Alexander ‘Sasha’ Kondrashov… a true inspiration. I would also like to express my gratitude to those who, although may not have directly contributed, should not be forgotten due to their continued assistance and considerate nature: Dr Chris Wade (five straight hours of help was not uncommon!), Sue Buxton (direct to my bench creepy crawlies), Sheila Keeble (ventures and cleans where others dare not), Alice Young (read/checked my thesis and overcame her arachnophobia!) and all those in the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • Programa De Doutoramento Em Biologia ”Dinâmica Das
    Universidade de Evora´ - Instituto de Investiga¸c~aoe Forma¸c~aoAvan¸cada Programa de Doutoramento em Biologia Tese de Doutoramento "Din^amicadas comunidades de grupos selecionados de artr´opodes terrestres nas ´areasemergentes da Barragem de Alqueva (Alentejo: Portugal) Rui Jorge Cegonho Raimundo Orientador(es) j Diogo Francisco Caeiro Figueiredo Paulo Alexandre Vieira Borges Evora´ 2020 Universidade de Evora´ - Instituto de Investiga¸c~aoe Forma¸c~aoAvan¸cada Programa de Doutoramento em Biologia Tese de Doutoramento "Din^amicadas comunidades de grupos selecionados de artr´opodes terrestres nas ´areasemergentes da Barragem de Alqueva (Alentejo: Portugal) Rui Jorge Cegonho Raimundo Orientador(es) j Diogo Francisco Caeiro Figueiredo Paulo Alexandre Vieira Borges Evora´ 2020 A tese de doutoramento foi objeto de aprecia¸c~aoe discuss~aop´ublicapelo seguinte j´urinomeado pelo Diretor do Instituto de Investiga¸c~aoe Forma¸c~ao Avan¸cada: Presidente j Luiz Carlos Gazarini (Universidade de Evora)´ Vogais j Am´aliaMaria Marques Espirid~aode Oliveira (Universidade de Evora)´ Artur Raposo Moniz Serrano (Universidade de Lisboa - Faculdade de Ci^encias) Fernando Manuel de Campos Trindade Rei (Universidade de Evora)´ M´arioRui Canelas Boieiro (Universidade dos A¸cores) Paulo Alexandre Vieira Borges (Universidade dos A¸cores) (Orientador) Pedro Segurado (Universidade T´ecnicade Lisboa - Instituto Superior de Agronomia) Evora´ 2020 IV Ilhas. Trago uma comigo in visível, um pedaço de matéria isolado e denso, que se deslocou numa catástrofe da idade média. Enquanto ilha, não carece de mar. Nem de nuvens passageiras. Enquanto fragmento, só outra catástrofe a devolveria ao corpo primitivo. Dora Neto V VI AGRADECIMENTOS Os momentos e decisões ao longo da vida tornaram-se pontos de inflexão que surgiram de um simples fascínio pelos invertebrados, reminiscência de infância passada na quinta dos avós maternos, para se tornar numa opção científica consubstanciada neste documento.
    [Show full text]