Wind-sensitive interneurones in the spider CNS (Cupiennius salei ): directional information processing of sensory inputs from trichobothria on the walking legs |
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Authors: | T Friedel F G Barth |
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Institution: | Biozentrum, Institut für Zoologie, Universit?t Wien, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Wien, Austria, AT
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Abstract: | Spiders can use air particle movements to localize moving prey. We studied the responses of 32 wind-sensitive interneurones
in the hunting spider Cupiennius salei to prey stimuli.
Stimulation with a tethered flying fly or with artificial air pulses activated plurisegmental interneurones that responded
to changes in air movement velocity and were thus well suited to represent the highly fluctuating air stream typical of prey
stimuli. In most interneurones (n = 18) the responses to the stimulation of different legs were not significantly different from each other.
Different interneurones had different response characteristics and their latencies largely overlapped suggesting that there
is parallel processing of the signals by populations of interneurones with different response characteristics.
In two interneurones the number of spikes and the spiking pattern elicited by stimulation of each of the eight legs markedly
differed depending on the leg stimulated. These neurones may play an important role in directional information processing.
Stimulation of the adjacent legs from front to back or from back to front revealed two interneurones sensitive to the direction
of successive stimulation of the legs. These neurones may be able to detect the motion of an air movement source in a preferred
direction and thus act as nearfield motion detectors to localize a moving prey item.
Accepted: 28 September 1996 |
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Keywords: | Prey capture behaviour Spider Interneurones Air movement detection Directional information processing |
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