The Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Endemic Giant Tarantula
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Untangling Taxonomy: a DNA Barcode Reference Library for Canadian Spiders
Molecular Ecology Resources (2016) 16, 325–341 doi: 10.1111/1755-0998.12444 Untangling taxonomy: a DNA barcode reference library for Canadian spiders GERGIN A. BLAGOEV, JEREMY R. DEWAARD, SUJEEVAN RATNASINGHAM, STEPHANIE L. DEWAARD, LIUQIONG LU, JAMES ROBERTSON, ANGELA C. TELFER and PAUL D. N. HEBERT Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada Abstract Approximately 1460 species of spiders have been reported from Canada, 3% of the global fauna. This study provides a DNA barcode reference library for 1018 of these species based upon the analysis of more than 30 000 specimens. The sequence results show a clear barcode gap in most cases with a mean intraspecific divergence of 0.78% vs. a min- imum nearest-neighbour (NN) distance averaging 7.85%. The sequences were assigned to 1359 Barcode index num- bers (BINs) with 1344 of these BINs composed of specimens belonging to a single currently recognized species. There was a perfect correspondence between BIN membership and a known species in 795 cases, while another 197 species were assigned to two or more BINs (556 in total). A few other species (26) were involved in BIN merges or in a combination of merges and splits. There was only a weak relationship between the number of specimens analysed for a species and its BIN count. However, three species were clear outliers with their specimens being placed in 11– 22 BINs. Although all BIN splits need further study to clarify the taxonomic status of the entities involved, DNA bar- codes discriminated 98% of the 1018 species. The present survey conservatively revealed 16 species new to science, 52 species new to Canada and major range extensions for 426 species. -
The Road Travelled by Australian Trapdoor Spiders
Discovered words and photo by Mark Harvey, WA Museum ustralia is home to many unique spiders with most species occurring Anowhere else on Earth. Many have their origins in the distant past, when Australia was part of Gondwana in the Mesozoic, ca. 180 million years ago. Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa, Madagascar, Antarctica and the Indian sub-continent, plus a few small islands, once formed a massive southern supercontinent known as Gondwana that gradually fragmented from the Jurassic, ca. 180–160 million years ago. Evidence of the connection between these continental blocks can be found in the fossil record The road travelled by Australian of some plants and animals, but most strikingly in the presence of related groups trapdoor spiders of organisms in the modern biota. But back to spiders. There are three major groups of spiders: the Mesothelae (a Australia that lives in shallow burrows with Above An undescribed species of Conothele. group of primitive spiders now only found in a flap-like lid. It was discovered by Adelaide Asia), the Mygalomorphae (trapdoor spiders University PhD student, Sophie Harrison, and their relatives) and the Araneomorphae to be most closely related to spiders of (all other spiders). The Australian the same genus from South Africa. Using timeline of Australia bumping into Asia. mygalomorphs include trapdoor, funnel- molecular sequence data, Sophie found that He also noted that there were two distinct web and mouse spiders, and tarantulas. the spider, Moggridgea rainbowi, diverged habitat preferences for Australian Conothele. Most Australian mygalomorph spiders from its African cousins sometime between Some species built burrows on tree trunks have their origins in Gondwana. -
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. -
Prey of the Jumping Spider Phidippus Johnsoni (Araneae : Salticidae)
Jackson, R. R . 1977 . Prey of the jumping spider Phidippus johnsoni (Araneae : Salticidae) . J. Arachnol. 5 :145-149 . PREY OF THE JUMPING SPIDER PHIDIPPUS JOHNSONI (ARANEAE : SALTICIDAE) Robert R. Jackson I Zoology Departmen t University of Californi a Berkeley, California 9472 0 ABSTRACT Field data indicate that P. johnsoni is an euryphagous predator, whose diet includes organisms (aphids, ants, opilionids) sometimes considered distasteful to spiders . Other spiders are preyed upon , including conspecifics. Prey size tends to be one quarter to three quarters the size of the predator . INTRODUCTION Since spiders are probably a dominant group of predators of insects (Bristowe, 1941 ; Riechert, 1974; Turnbull, 1973), there is considerable interest in their feeding ecology . Spiders have usually been considered to be euryphagous predators with a stabilizing , rather than regulative, effect on insect populations (Riechert, 1974) . However, informa- tion concerning the prey taken by particular spider species, in the field, is limited . Field studies by Edgar (1969, 1970), Robinson and Robinson (1970) and Turnbull (1960) are especially noteworthy . During the course of a study of the reproductive biology of Phidippus johnsoni (Peckham and Peckham) (Jackson, 1976), occasionally individuals of this species were found in the field holding prey in their chelicerae . Each prey discovered in this way i s listed in Table 1 . In addition, Ken Evans and Charles Griswold, who were familiar wit h this species, recorded observations of P. johnsoni with prey. (Their data are included in Table 1 .) These data came from a variety of habitats in western North America, most o f which have been described elsewhere (Jackson, 1976) . -
Campus Environment and Biodiversity Department of Zoology Department of Botany
A report on Campus Environment and Biodiversity Department of Zoology Department of Botany Content Pg No. 1. Introduction 1 2. Methodology 2 3. Result 3.1 Water Analysis of campus Lake 3 3.2 Soil Analysis 4 3.3 Faunal Diversity 5 i. Spider diversity 5 ii. Orthopteran diversity 7 iii. Avian diversity 8 iv. Odonate diversity 10 v. Ant diversity 13 vi. Terrestrial Beetle diversity 14 vii. Butterfly diversity 15 viii. Soil arthropod diversity 17 ix. Plankton diversity 18 x. Aquatic insect diversity 20 xi. Cockroach diversity 21 xii. Amphibia diversity 21 xiii. Moth diversity 23 xiv. Reptile diversity 24 xv. Mammal diversity 26 3.4 Floral Diversity 28 1. Introduction In its effort towards creating an eco-friendly campus, the University encourages its Faculty and Students to engage in conserving the Campus environment, its flora and fauna, through activities that include individual and collaborative research, conservation practices, activities and initiatives of the EcoClub and the University as a whole. Since 2017, the School of Life Sciences has been on a constant endeavour to create a repository of information on the biodiversity of the Campus through documentation of indigenous flora and fauna in its three Campuses, particularly the Tapesia Campus, which harbours unique species of flora and fauna. The Tapesia Campus is home to 296 species of fauna and 38 species of flora. Among the animal species, of mention is the incredible arachnid Lyrognathus saltator, the common Tarantula, which is found nesting among our vast expanse of greens. These numbers reveal the rich biodiversity of the Campus which summon for both admiration as well as protection and conservation. -
JFSH TESIS.Pdf
Desarrollo y utilización de herramientas bioinformáticas en el estudio de datos de secuenciación masiva: Análisis genómicos en arácnidos José Francisco Sánchez Herrero Aquesta tesi doctoral està subjecta a la llicència Reconeixement- NoComercial 4.0. Espanya de Creative Commons. Esta tesis doctoral está sujeta a la licencia Reconocimiento - NoComercial 4.0. España de Creative Commons. This doctoral thesis is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0. Spain License. Universitat de Barcelona Facultat de Biologia Departamento de Genética, Microbiología y Estadística Desarrollo y utilización de herramientas bioinformáticas en el estudio de datos de secuenciación masiva: Análisis genómicos en arácnidos. José Francisco Sánchez Herrero Barcelona, Septiembre 2019 Desarrollo y utilización de herramientas bioinformáticas en el estudio de datos de secuenciación masiva: Análisis genómicos en arácnidos. Memoria presentada por José Francisco Sánchez Herrero para optar al Grado de Doctor en Genética (HDK0S) por la Universidad de Barcelona Departamento de Genética, Microbiología y Estadística El autor de la tesis José Francisco Sánchez Herrero Tutor y codirector Codirector Dr. Julio Rozas Liras Dr. Alejandro Sánchez-Gracia Barcelona, Septiembre 2019 “George emprendió solemnemente la tarea de educarme. Desde mi punto de vista, lo más importante era que dedicábamos parte de nuestro tiempo a la historia natural, y George me enseñaba con cuidado y minuciosidad cómo había que observar y tomar nota de lo observado en un diario. Mi entusiasta pero desordenado interés por la naturaleza se centró, pues descubrí que anotando las cosas se aprendía y se recordaba mucho mejor. Las únicas mañanas en que llegaba puntualmente a mi lección eran las dedicadas a historia natural.” – Gerald Durrell, Mi familia y otros animales (1956). -
A Summary List of Fossil Spiders
A summary list of fossil spiders compiled by Jason A. Dunlop (Berlin), David Penney (Manchester) & Denise Jekel (Berlin) Suggested citation: Dunlop, J. A., Penney, D. & Jekel, D. 2010. A summary list of fossil spiders. In Platnick, N. I. (ed.) The world spider catalog, version 10.5. American Museum of Natural History, online at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html Last udated: 10.12.2009 INTRODUCTION Fossil spiders have not been fully cataloged since Bonnet’s Bibliographia Araneorum and are not included in the current Catalog. Since Bonnet’s time there has been considerable progress in our understanding of the spider fossil record and numerous new taxa have been described. As part of a larger project to catalog the diversity of fossil arachnids and their relatives, our aim here is to offer a summary list of the known fossil spiders in their current systematic position; as a first step towards the eventual goal of combining fossil and Recent data within a single arachnological resource. To integrate our data as smoothly as possible with standards used for living spiders, our list follows the names and sequence of families adopted in the Catalog. For this reason some of the family groupings proposed in Wunderlich’s (2004, 2008) monographs of amber and copal spiders are not reflected here, and we encourage the reader to consult these studies for details and alternative opinions. Extinct families have been inserted in the position which we hope best reflects their probable affinities. Genus and species names were compiled from established lists and cross-referenced against the primary literature. -
Jump Takeoff in a Small Jumping Spider
Journal of Comparative Physiology A https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-021-01473-7 ORIGINAL PAPER Jump takeof in a small jumping spider Erin E. Brandt1,2 · Yoshan Sasiharan2 · Damian O. Elias1 · Natasha Mhatre2 Received: 27 October 2020 / Revised: 4 February 2021 / Accepted: 23 February 2021 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021 Abstract Jumping in animals presents an interesting locomotory strategy as it requires the generation of large forces and accurate timing. Jumping in arachnids is further complicated by their semi-hydraulic locomotion system. Among arachnids, jumping spiders (Family Salticidae) are agile and dexterous jumpers. However, less is known about jumping in small salticid species. Here we used Habronattus conjunctus, a small jumping spider (body length ~ 4.5 mm) to examine its jumping performance and compare it to that of other jumping spiders and insects. We also explored how legs are used during the takeof phase of jumps. Jumps were staged between two raised platforms. We analyzed jumping videos with DeepLabCut to track 21 points on the cephalothorax, abdomen, and legs. By analyzing leg liftof and extension patterns, we found evidence that H. conjunc- tus primarily uses the third legs to power jumps. We also found that H. conjunctus jumps achieve lower takeof speeds and accelerations than most other jumping arthropods, including other jumping spiders. Habronattus conjunctus takeof time was similar to other jumping arthropods of the same body mass. We discuss the mechanical benefts and drawbacks of a semi- hydraulic system of locomotion and consider how small spiders may extract dexterous jumps from this locomotor system. -
Notes on Indian Mygalomorph Spiders, Ii
NOTES ON INDIAN MYGALOMORPH SPIDERS, II. By F. H. GRAVELY, D. Se., Superintendent, Government Museum, Madras. The first series of these notes appeared in 1915 in Vol. XI of these "Records." Two new species and some additional information were added in 1921 (Vol. XXII) in an account of the Spiders of Barkuda Island in the Chilka Lake. I have to thank Mr. H. Chennappaiya, Zoological Assistant in the Madras Government Museum, for assistance in working out the additional material, mostly sent by the Indian Museum, Calcutta, whj.ch is dealt with in this paper. Mygalomorph spiders are popularly regarded as poisonous, but authentic records of their bites seem to be rare. The effects of bites of t.wo species, Macrothele vidua and Haploclastus' nilgirinus, are described below (pp. 73 & 81). Family OTENIZIDAE. Genus Heligmomerus Simon. The specimen recorded in the first series of ' these notes, and stated therein as possibly introduced into the Botanical Gardens at Sibpur near Calcutta, was probably indigenous, as a well-grown female of the genus has since been found on the ground floor of the Museum House, Calcutta, and a number of smaller ones have been sent from Serampore by Mrs. Drake. In the absence of'males the species cannot be adequately defined. The species described as Acanthodon barkudensis in the second paper mentioned above, proves on further examination to have the tibiae of the third pair of legs of the female excavate above and must, therefore, be transferred to this genus. In the male this excavation is, however, obsolete-which suggests that Idiops bikaricus, described from a male only in the first paper, may perhaps also belong to th~ genus. -
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. -
Caracterização Proteometabolômica Dos Componentes Da Teia Da Aranha Nephila Clavipes Utilizados Na Estratégia De Captura De Presas
UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL PAULISTA “JÚLIO DE MESQUITA FILHO” INSTITUTO DE BIOCIÊNCIAS – RIO CLARO PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM CIÊNCIAS BIOLÓGICAS BIOLOGIA CELULAR E MOLECULAR Caracterização proteometabolômica dos componentes da teia da aranha Nephila clavipes utilizados na estratégia de captura de presas Franciele Grego Esteves Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto de Biociências do Câmpus de Rio . Claro, Universidade Estadual Paulista, como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do título de Mestre em Biologia Celular e Molecular. Rio Claro São Paulo - Brasil Março/2017 FRANCIELE GREGO ESTEVES CARACTERIZAÇÃO PROTEOMETABOLÔMICA DOS COMPONENTES DA TEIA DA ARANHA Nephila clavipes UTILIZADOS NA ESTRATÉGIA DE CAPTURA DE PRESA Orientador: Prof. Dr. Mario Sergio Palma Co-Orientador: Dr. José Roberto Aparecido dos Santos-Pinto Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto de Biociências da Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” - Campus de Rio Claro-SP, como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do título de Mestre em Biologia Celular e Molecular. Rio Claro 2017 595.44 Esteves, Franciele Grego E79c Caracterização proteometabolômica dos componentes da teia da aranha Nephila clavipes utilizados na estratégia de captura de presas / Franciele Grego Esteves. - Rio Claro, 2017 221 f. : il., figs., gráfs., tabs., fots. Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro Orientador: Mario Sergio Palma Coorientador: José Roberto Aparecido dos Santos-Pinto 1. Aracnídeo. 2. Seda de aranha. 3. Glândulas de seda. 4. Toxinas. 5. Abordagem proteômica shotgun. 6. Abordagem metabolômica. I. Título. Ficha Catalográfica elaborada pela STATI - Biblioteca da UNESP Campus de Rio Claro/SP Dedico esse trabalho à minha família e aos meus amigos. Agradecimentos AGRADECIMENTOS Agradeço a Deus primeiramente por me fortalecer no dia a dia, por me capacitar a enfrentar os obstáculos e momentos difíceis da vida. -
A Taxonomic Review of the Trapdoor Spider Genus Myrmekiaphila (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae)
PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024 Number 3596, 30 pp., 106 figures December 12, 2007 A Taxonomic Review of the Trapdoor Spider Genus Myrmekiaphila (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae) JASON E. BOND1 AND NORMAN I. PLATNICK2 ABSTRACT The mygalomorph spider genus Myrmekiaphila comprises 11 species known only from the southeastern United States. The type species, M. foliata Atkinson, is removed from the synonymy of M. fluviatilis (Hentz) and placed as a senior synonym of M. atkinsoni Simon. A neotype is designated for M. fluviatilis and males of the species are described for the first time. Aptostichus flavipes Petrunkevitch is transferred to Myrmekiaphila. Six new species are described: M. coreyi and M. minuta from Florida, M. neilyoungi from Alabama, M. jenkinsi from Tennessee and Kentucky, and M. millerae and M. howelli from Mississippi. INTRODUCTION throughout the southeastern United States (fig. 1), ranging from northern Virginia along The trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila the Appalachian Mountains southward (Cyrtaucheniidae, Euctenizinae) has long re- through West Virginia, Kentucky, North and mained in relative obscurity. Aside from South Carolina, Tennessee, and northern occasional species descriptions, no significant Georgia into the Southeastern Plains and taxonomic work on the group has appeared. Southern Coastal Plain of Alabama, Mis- Members of the genus are widely distributed sissippi, and Florida. The range of the genus 1 Research Associate, Division