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Marsh JR, Milner SJ, Shaw M, Stempel AJ, Harvey MS, Rix MG. A Case for Below-Ground Dispersal? Insights into the Biology, Ecology and Conservation of Blind Cave Spiders in the Genus Troglodiplura (Mygalomorphae: Anamidae). INSECTS 2023; 14:insects14050449. [PMID: 37233077 DOI: 10.3390/insects14050449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Previously described from only fragments of exoskeleton and juvenile specimens, the cave spider genus Troglodiplura (Araneae: Anamidae), endemic to the Nullarbor Plain, is the only troglomorphic member of the infraorder Mygalomorphae recorded from Australia. We investigated the distribution of Troglodiplura in South Australia, collecting and observing the first (intact) mature specimens, widening the number of caves it has been recorded in, and documenting threats to conservation. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Troglodiplura as an independent lineage within the subfamily Anaminae (the 'Troglodiplura group') and provide unequivocal evidence that populations from apparently isolated cave systems are conspecifics of T. beirutpakbarai Harvey & Rix, 2020, with extremely low or negligible inter-population mitochondrial divergences. This is intriguing evidence for recent or contemporary subterranean dispersal of these large, troglomorphic spiders. Observations of adults and juvenile spiders taken in the natural cave environment, and supported by observations in captivity, revealed the use of crevices within caves as shelters, but no evidence of silk use for burrow construction, contrasting with the typical burrowing behaviours seen in other Anamidae. We identify a range of threats posed to the species and to the fragile cave ecosystem, and provide recommendations for further research to better define the distribution of vulnerable taxa within caves and identify actions needed to protect them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Marsh
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia
- Biological Sciences, South Australian Museum, GPO Box 234, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
- Invertebrates Australia, Osborne Park, WA 6017, Australia
| | - Steven J Milner
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
| | - Matthew Shaw
- Biological Sciences, South Australian Museum, GPO Box 234, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia
| | | | - Mark S Harvey
- Collections & Research, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Michael G Rix
- Collections & Research, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia
- Biodiversity and Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum Collections & Research Centre, Hendra, QLD 4011, Australia
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The Jorō spider (Trichonephila clavata) in the southeastern U.S.: an opportunity for research and a call for reasonable journalism. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02914-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractTrichonephila clavata, also known as the Jorō spider, was first discovered in Georgia, USA in 2014. Its arrival from Asia and subsequent range expansion across the southeastern U.S. has received much media coverage, spanning from factual to sensational. Here, we describe T. clavata's invasion potential and known invasive range, and review its biology, dispersal abilities, potential impacts, and management strategies. As of October 2022, T. clavata's range spans at least 120,000 km2, occurring across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with additional reports in Alabama, Maryland, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Its pattern of spread suggests it is primarily driven by natural dispersal mechanisms, such as ballooning, though human-mediated transport cannot be discounted. Like other large-bodied orb-weavers, T. clavata captures and feeds on flying insects and potentially other small animals, and we suggest thirteen co-occurring spider species that should be monitored for competition with T. clavata for resources and web-building sites. Since T. clavata is spreading across both natural and urban habitats, management options are limited. Overall, very little is known about this species in its new North American range, especially its impacts within this novel ecosystem. Thus, we advise journalists and experts alike against exaggerating its potential environmental impact or uncritical acceptance of the spider as ecologically harmless. Instead, T. clavata's rapid spread should be carefully monitored, and we should take a cautious, evidence-based approach when determining next steps.
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Řezáč M, Tessler S, Heneberg P, Herrera IMÁ, Gloríková N, Forman M, Řezáčová V, Král J. Atypus karschi Dönitz, 1887 (Araneae: Atypidae): An Asian purse-web spider established in Pennsylvania, USA. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0261695. [PMID: 35797267 PMCID: PMC9262232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The mygalomorph spiders of the family Atypidae are among the most archaic spiders. The genus Atypus Latreille, 1804 occurs in Eurasia and northern Africa, with a single enigmatic species, Atypus snetsingeri Sarno, 1973, known only from a small area in southeastern Pennsylvania in eastern USA. A close relationship to European species could be assumed based on geographic proximity, but A. snetsingeri more closely resembled Asian species. This study was undertaken to learn more about the genetics of A. snetsingeri, its habitat requirements and natural history. Molecular markers (CO1 sequences) were compared to available data for other atypids and showed that A. snetsingeri is identical with A. karschi Dönitz, 1887 native to East Asia. Natural history parameters in Pennsylvania were also similar in every respect to A. karschi in Japan, therefore, we propose that the spider is an introduced species and the specific epithet snetsingeri is relegated to a junior synonym of A. karschi. Cytogenetic analysis showed an X0 sex chromosome system (42 chromosomes in females, 41 in males) and we also detected nucleolus organizing regions and heterochromatin, the latter for the first time in the Atypoidea. In Pennsylvania the spider is found in a variety of habitats, from forests to suburban shrubbery, where the above-ground webs are usually attached vertically to trees, shrubs, or walls, although other webs are oriented horizontally near the ground. Prey include millipedes, snails, woodlice, carabid beetles and earthworms. Atypus karschi is the first known case of an introduced purse-web spider. It is rarely noticed but well-established within its range in southeastern Pennsylvania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Řezáč
- Crop Research Institute, Prague, Ruzyně, Czech Republic
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Petr Heneberg
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ivalú Macarena Ávila Herrera
- Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Arachnid Cytogenetics, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Martin Forman
- Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Arachnid Cytogenetics, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Jiří Král
- Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Arachnid Cytogenetics, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Charles University, Viničná, Prague, Czech Republic
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Foley S, Krehenwinkel H, Cheng DQ, Piel WH. Phylogenomic analyses reveal a Gondwanan origin and repeated out of India colonizations into Asia by tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae). PeerJ 2021; 9:e11162. [PMID: 33868819 PMCID: PMC8034372 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of biogeography seeks taxa that share a key set of characteristics, such as timescale of diversification, dispersal ability, and ecological lability. Tarantulas are ideal organisms for studying evolution over continental-scale biogeography given their time period of diversification, their mostly long-lived sedentary lives, low dispersal rate, and their nevertheless wide circumtropical distribution. In tandem with a time-calibrated transcriptome-based phylogeny generated by PhyloBayes, we estimate the ancestral ranges of ancient tarantulas using two methods, DEC+j and BBM, in the context of their evolution. We recover two ecologically distinct tarantula lineages that evolved on the Indian Plate before it collided with Asia, emphasizing the evolutionary significance of the region, and show that both lineages diversified across Asia at different times. The most ancestral tarantulas emerge on the Americas and Africa 120 Ma-105.5 Ma. We provide support for a dual colonization of Asia by two different tarantula lineages that occur at least 20 million years apart, as well as a Gondwanan origin for the group. We determine that their current distributions are attributable to a combination of Gondwanan vicariance, continental rafting, and geographic radiation. We also discuss emergent patterns in tarantula habitat preferences through time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saoirse Foley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Biological Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | | | - William H. Piel
- Department of Biological Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Wolff JO. Locomotion and kinematics of arachnids. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2021; 207:99-103. [PMID: 33738532 PMCID: PMC8046687 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-021-01478-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A basic feature of animals is the capability to move and disperse. Arachnids are one of the oldest lineages of terrestrial animals and characterized by an octopodal locomotor apparatus with hydraulic limb extension. Their locomotion repertoire includes running, climbing, jumping, but also swimming, diving, abseiling, rolling, gliding and -passively- even flying. Studying the unique locomotor functions and movement ecology of arachnids is important for an integrative understanding of the ecology and evolution of this diverse and ubiquitous animal group. Beyond biology, arachnid locomotion is inspiring robotic engineers. The aim of this special issue is to display the state of the interdisciplinary research on arachnid locomotion, linking physiology and biomechanics with ecology, ethology and evolutionary biology. It comprises five reviews and ten original research reports covering diverse topics, ranging from the neurophysiology of arachnid movement, the allometry and sexual dimorphism of running kinematics, the effect of autotomy or heavy body parts on locomotor efficiency, and the evolution of silk-spinning choreography, to the biophysics of ballooning and ballistic webs. This closes a significant gap in the literature on animal biomechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas O Wolff
- Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, Loitzer Str. 26, 17489, Greifswald, Germany.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia.
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