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Tingting Dong
2017-03-01
Full Text Available Two new species of the genus Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 are described from Tajikistan: Pholcus saidovi Yao & Li sp. nov. (♂♀ and P. shuguanensis Yao & Li sp. nov. (♂. The female of P. sidorenkoi Dunin, 1994 is reported for the first time. All belong to the P. nenjukovi species group.
Osbin, K.; Jayan, Manuel; Bhadrakumari, S.; Predeep, P.
2017-06-01
This study investigates the presence of various amide bands present in different spider silk species, which provides extraordinary physical properties. Three different spider silks were collected from Western Ghats region. The collected spider silks samples belonging to the spider Heteropoda venatoria (species 1), Hersilia savignyi (species 2) and Pholcus phalangioides (species 3). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra reveals the protein peaks in the amide I, II, and III regions in all the three types of spider silk species.
Spider fauna in Caspian Costal region of Iran.
Ghavami, Sahra
2007-03-01
The current study investigated spider fauna of Caspian Costal region of Iran (Guilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces) during 2005-2006. Spiders were collected from on the ground and under the stones and grasses by bottle, aspirator, Pitfall trap and pans and from branches, leaves and trunks of different trees and bushes by Steiner and Baggiolini method and insect net. They transferred to the laboratory and classified in 52 species and 51 genera belonged to 20 families. Thirty species, 13 genera and 2 families are reported for the first time from Iran, as follows: Family Agelenidae: Agelena labyrinthica (Clerck, 1757), Cicurina sp., Family Araneidae: Agalenatea redii (Scopoli, 1763), Araniella inconspicua (Simon, 1874), Araniella alpica (C.L. Koch, 1869), Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1757, Cercidia sp., Cyclosa conica (Pallas, 1772), Hypsosinga sanguinea (C.L. Koch,1845), Family Clubionidae: Clubiona neglecta O.P. Camridge, 1862, Family Amaurobiidae, Family Eresidae: Eresus sp., Dresserus sp., Family Gnaphosidae: Aphantaulax sp., Micaria sp., Family Metidae: Zygiella x-notata (Clerck,1757), Family Miturgidae: Cheiracanthium erraticum (Walckenaer, 1802), Cheiracanthium pennyi O.P. Cambridge, 1873, Family Linyphiidae: Microlinyphia sp., Family Lycosidae: Alopecosa pulverulenta (Clerck, 1757), Pardosa amentata (Clerck, 1757), Pardosa agrestis (Westring, 1861), Pardosa monticola (Clerck, 1757), Family Oxyopidae: Oxyopes salticus (Hentx, 1802), Family Philodromidae: Philodromus cespitum (Walckenaer, 1802),Family Pholcidae: Psilochorus simoni (Berland, 1911), Pholcus phalangioides (Fuesslin, 1775), Family Salticidae: Salticus scenicus (Clerck, 1757), Family Tetragnathidae: Tetragnatha montana, Simon, 1874, Tetragnatha javana (Thorell, 1890), Family Theridiidae: Dipoena prona (Menge, 1868), Steatoda albomaculata (Degeer, 1778), Theridion impressum C. L. Koch, Theridion simile C.L. Koch,1836, Family Thomisidae: Misumena vatia (Clerck, 1757), Thanatus formicinus (Clerck
New leaf- and litter-dwelling species of the genus Pholcus from Southeast Asia (Araneae, Pholcidae
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bernhard Huber
2016-05-01
Full Text Available We describe eight new species of the genus Pholcus, and document their microhabitats. Four species are assigned to the previously described Pholcus ethagala group: P. tanahrata Huber sp. nov., P. uludong Huber sp. nov., and P. bukittimah Huber sp. nov. from the Malay Peninsula, and P. barisan Huber sp. nov. from Sumatra. These species are all litter-dwellers that build domed sheet webs on the undersides of large dead leaves on the ground. The other four species are assigned to newly created species groups: the P. tambunan group with two species from northern Borneo: P. tambunan Huber sp. nov. and P. bario Huber sp. nov.; and the P. domingo group with two species from the Philippines, Mindanao: P. domingo Huber sp. nov. and P. matutum Huber sp. nov. These latter four species are leaf-dwellers that build barely visible silk platforms tightly attached to the undersides of live leaves. The main rationale for this paper is to provide part of the taxonomic and natural history background for upcoming phylogenetic and evolutionary (microhabitat shifts analyses.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bernhard A. Huber
2016-08-01
Full Text Available We revise the Southeast Asian Pholcus bicornutus group in which males are characterized by a unique pair of horns on their ocular area, each of which carries at its tip a brush of hairs. In two species, the two hair brushes are ‘glued’ or ‘waxed’ together by an unidentified substance into a very consistently curved and pointed single median tip. In the other five species known, the hairs are unglued. We present a first revision of ocular modifications in Pholcidae and identify twenty supposedly independent origins. Most cases are in Pholcinae, and all but one case are limited to the male, suggesting sexual selection as the main driving force in the evolution of ocular modifications in Pholcidae. Previously, the Pholcus bicornutus group consisted of four species limited to the Philippines. We describe four new species, including three species from the Philippines (P. olangapo Huber, sp. nov.; P. kawit Huber, sp. nov.; P. baguio Huber, sp. nov. and the first representative from outside the Philippines (P. mulu Huber, sp. nov. from Sarawak, NE Borneo and provide new records and SEM data for three previously described species.
Spider silk as a template for obtaining magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide fibers
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Dmitrović Svetlana
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Spider silk fibers, collected from Pholcus Phalangioides spider were used as a template for obtaining magnesium oxide (MgO, periclase as well as magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH2, brucite fibers. Magnesium oxide fibers were obtained in a simple manner by heat induced decomposition of magnesium salt (MgCl2 in the presence of the spider silk fibers, while magnesium hydroxide fibers were synthesized by hydration of MgO fibers at 50, 70 and 90 C, for 48 and 96 h. According to Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, dimensions of spider silk fibers determined the dimension of synthesized MgO fibers, while for Mg(OH2 fibers, the average diameter was increased with prolonging the hydration period. The surface of Mg(OH2 fibers was noticed to be covered with brucite in a form of plates. X-Ray diffraction (XRD analysis showed that MgO fibers were single-phased (the pure magnesium oxide fibers were obtained, while Mg(OH2 fibers were two- or single-phased brucite depending on incubation period, and/or incubation temperature. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 45012
Königsmann, Tatiana; Turetzek, Natascha; Pechmann, Matthias; Prpic, Nikola-Michael
2017-11-01
Zinc finger transcription factors of the Sp6-9 group are evolutionarily conserved in all metazoans and have important functions in, e.g., limb formation and heart development. The function of Sp6-9-related genes has been studied in a number of vertebrates and invertebrates, but data from chelicerates (spiders and allies) was lacking so far. We have isolated the ortholog of Sp6-9 from the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum and the cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides. We show that the Sp6-9 gene in these spider species is expressed in the developing appendages thus suggesting a conserved role in limb formation. Indeed, RNAi with Sp6-9 in P. tepidariorum leads not only to strong limb defects, but also to the loss of body segments and head defects in more strongly affected animals. Together with a new expression domain in the early embryo, these data suggest that Sp6-9 has a dual role P. tepidariorum. The early role in head and body segment formation is not known from other arthropods, but the role in limb formation is evolutionarily highly conserved.
Detection and phylogenetic analysis of bacteriophage WO in spiders (Araneae).
Yan, Qian; Qiao, Huping; Gao, Jin; Yun, Yueli; Liu, Fengxiang; Peng, Yu
2015-11-01
Phage WO is a bacteriophage found in Wolbachia. Herein, we represent the first phylogenetic study of WOs that infect spiders (Araneae). Seven species of spiders (Araneus alternidens, Nephila clavata, Hylyphantes graminicola, Prosoponoides sinensis, Pholcus crypticolens, Coleosoma octomaculatum, and Nurscia albofasciata) from six families were infected by Wolbachia and WO, followed by comprehensive sequence analysis. Interestingly, WO could be only detected Wolbachia-infected spiders. The relative infection rates of those seven species of spiders were 75, 100, 88.9, 100, 62.5, 72.7, and 100 %, respectively. Our results indicated that both Wolbachia and WO were found in three different body parts of N. clavata, and WO could be passed to the next generation of H. graminicola by vertical transmission. There were three different sequences for WO infected in A. alternidens and two different WO sequences from C. octomaculatum. Only one sequence of WO was found for the other five species of spiders. The discovered sequence of WO ranged from 239 to 311 bp. Phylogenetic tree was generated using maximum likelihood (ML) based on the orf7 gene sequences. According to the phylogenetic tree, WOs in N. clavata and H. graminicola were clustered in the same group. WOs from A. alternidens (WAlt1) and C. octomaculatum (WOct2) were closely related to another clade, whereas WO in P. sinensis was classified as a sole cluster.