Predatory behavior and sensory morphology of the whip spider Charinus asturius (Arachnida: Amblypygi)
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Predatory behavior and sensory morphology of the whip spider Charinus asturius (Arachnida: Amblypygi) Julio M. G. Segovia1,2,3 · Guilherme Gainett4 · Rodrigo H. Willemart2,3 Received: 18 December 2019 / Accepted: 3 April 2020 © Japan Ethological Society 2020
Abstract Assessing information about prey before attacking is crucial for predators. Whip spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi) are predatory arachnids that prey mainly on arthropods and whose first pair of legs concentrates many sensory structures. Nonetheless, these aspects of amblypygid biology have been mostly studied in a few species of Phrynidae and basic information about predatory behavior and sensory morphology remain scarce for other families. In this study, we described the sensory morphology of the antenniform leg and the predatory behavior of Charinus asturius Pinto-da-Rocha, Machado and Weygoldt, 2002, a representative of the family Charinidae. We report the presence of most sensilla types described in the better studied Phrynidae and highlight novel aspects such as the morphology of the tarsal organ and the reduced number of rod sensilla. Our behavioral results underscore the importance of antenniform legs in the predatory behavior of C. asturius. Finally, we suggest new avenues to advance the knowledge about the importance of antenniform legs for capturing living prey. Keywords Sensory ecology · Capture · Strike · Charinidae · Antenniform legs
Introduction Interactions between prey and predators are considered evolutionary arm races (Dawkins and Krebs 1979). For prey, succeeding means not being caught by a predator. On the other hand, predators need to be able to capture and consume prey (Dawkins and Krebs 1979). Thus, assessing information about potential prey prior to attack is critical for predators. For example, the body posture and vigilance level of prey may influence the attack success of predators (Fitzgibbon 1989; Krause and Godin 1995). Distinguishing * Julio M. G. Segovia [email protected] 1
Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 61137 Brno, Czech Republic
2
Laboratório de Ecologia Sensorial e Comportamento de Artrópodes, Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
3
Programa de Pós‑Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
4
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
the prey type may help to inform its nutritional content and unpalatability (Toft 1999; Mayntz et al. 2005). Moreover, in some cases, dangerous prey can attack back, kill and eat an incautious predator (Wignall and Taylor 2009). Predators therefore rely on sensory structures for worthwhile and safe attack on prey. Foraging predators acquire information about prey by means of a variety of sensory modalities. For example, vision (dragonflies: Olberg 2012; mice: Hoy et al. 2016), olfaction (birds: Cunningham et al. 2009), to
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