The Chilean Recluse Spider (Araneae: Sicariidae) Displays Behavioral Responses to Conspecific Odors, but Not to Several General Odorants

Spiders of the family Sicariidae pose a serious threat to affected populations, and Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet) is considered the most venomous species. Development of nontoxic olfaction-based spider repellents or traps is hindered by a current lack of knowledge regarding olfactory system function in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical entomology 2017-09, Vol.54 (5), p.1435-1439
Main Authors: Calbiague, Victor Manuel, Olivares, Jesus, Olivares, Erick, Schmachtenberg, Oliver
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animals
arachnid
Arachnids
Aroma compounds
Attraction
Aversion
chemosensation
Chemotaxis
Chile
Conspecific odors
Conspecifics
Female
Male
Odorants
Odors
Olfaction
Olfactory Perception
Olfactory system
pheromone
Repellents
SHORT COMMUNICATION
sicariid
Smell
Spiders
Spiders - physiology
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Summary:Spiders of the family Sicariidae pose a serious threat to affected populations, and Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet) is considered the most venomous species. Development of nontoxic olfaction-based spider repellents or traps is hindered by a current lack of knowledge regarding olfactory system function in arachnids. In the present study, general plant odorants and conspecific odors were tested for behavioral responses in L. laeta. Although general odorants triggered neither attraction nor aversion, conspecific odor of the opposite sex caused aversion in females, and attraction in males. These results support the presence of a specific olfactory system for the detection of conspecifics in L. laeta, but suggest the absence of a broadly tuned system for general odorant detection in this species.
ISSN:0022-2585
1938-2928
DOI:10.1093/jme/tjx101