A new microinvertebrate with features of mites and tardigrades in Dominican amber

From time to time, small, fragile, previously unknown fossil invertebrates are found in specialized habitats. Occasionally, as in the present case, a fragment of the original habitat that existed millions of years ago is also preserved. The present article describes a previously unknown microinvertebrate in Dominican amber that cannot be placed in any group of extant invertebrates. Placed in a new family, genus, and species, the fossil shares characters with both tardigrades and mites, but clearly belongs to neither group. The several hundred fossil individuals preserved in the amber shared their moist, warm habitat with pseudoscorpions, nematodes, fungi, and protozoa. The large number of fossils provided additional evidence of their biology, including their reproductive behavior, developmental stages, and food. While there is no extant group that can accommodate these fossils, and we have no knowledge of any extant descendants, this discovery shows that unique lineages of minute invertebrates were surviving in the mid‐Tertiary.     

Phylogeography of lethal male fighting in a social spider mite

When males fight for access to females, such conflict rarely escalates into lethal fight because the risks and costs involved, that is, severe injury or death, are too high. The social spider mite, Stigmaeopsis miscanthi, does exhibit lethal male fights, and this male–male aggressiveness varies among populations. To understand the evolution of lethal fighting, we investigated aggressiveness in 42 populations and phylogenetic relationships in 47 populations along the Japanese archipelago. By analysis of the male weapon morph, a proxy for aggressiveness, we confirmed the existence of a mildly aggressive (ML) form, besides the low aggression (LW) and high aggression (HG) forms reported earlier. To evaluate demographic history of these three forms, we employed the approximate Bayesian computation approach using mtCOI sequences and taking into consideration the postlast glacial expansion history of the host plant, Miscanthus sinensis. As results, hierarchical split models are more likely to explain the observed genetic pattern than admixture models, and the ML form in the subtropical region was considered the ancestral group. The inferred demographic history was consistent with the one reconstructed for the host plant in a previous study. The LW form was split from the ML form during the last glacial period (20,000–40,000 years BP), and subsequently, the HG form was split from the ML form at the end of or after the last glacial period (5,494–10,988 years BP). The results also suggest that the mite invaded Japan more than once, resulting in the present parapatric distribution of LW and HG forms in eastern Japan.     

Effect of coupled reduced irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer on soil mite community composition in a wheat field

Groundwater and nitrogen fertilizer overuse severely threatens crop productions; thus, current ecological agriculture requires low irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer inputs. The effects of combined reduced irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer addition on soil organism (e.g., mite) community and biodiversity remain poorly understood. We analyzed soil mite community composition, wheat grain yield, and soil characteristics in a 10‐year manipulation experiment with two levels of irrigation (reduced and conventional irrigation) and five nitrogen fertilizer levels (0, 70, 140, 210, and 280 kg N/ha). Reduced irrigation (20% reduction, from 280 to 220 mm) and nitrogen fertilizer (25% reduction, from 280 to 210 kg N/ha) addition did not significantly influence soil mite community and wheat yield. The relative abundances of fungivores and predators showed negative quadratic relationships with wheat yield, while that of plant parasites showed a positive relationship. The relationships between soil mite trophic groups and wheat yield revealed that we can evaluate the impacts of reduced irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer addition from the perspective of soil fauna. Soil mite community composition was altered by soil abiotic factors prior to reduced irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer addition. Overall, moderate reductions of irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer may not threaten to soil mite community and diversity or decrease crop production; in contrast, such reductions will benefit mite community development and the sustainable agriculture.     

蛛网和蛛体挥发物诱导的阴暗拟隙蛛（蜘蛛目：漏斗蛛科）种内选择偏好行为

化学通讯是蜘蛛类群普遍使用的种内和种间信息交流方式,极可能是蜘蛛进化过程中最初用来进行个体之间信息交流的途径。本研究利用双向选择系统,测试了阴暗拟隙蛛(Pireneitega luctuosa)对同种其他个体的蛛网和蛛体挥发物的选择行为,采用卡方检验的统计学方法、利用SPSS 19.0和Origin Pro 8等软件对所测蜘蛛的选择数据进行了分析。结果显示:①阴暗拟隙蛛雄蛛和雌蛛对来自同种异性的蛛网(P 0.001)和蛛体挥发物(P 0.05)均具有显著的趋向性,雌、雄蛛在异性蛛网或蛛体挥发物所在的选择盒表现更长时间的停留、探索、织网等行为;②雄蛛和雌蛛对幼蛛蛛体释放出来的挥发物均表现出显著的回避行为(P 0.05),倾向于远离具有幼蛛挥发物的选择盒;③幼蛛对同种幼蛛和雄蛛的蛛网(P 0.001)以及同种幼蛛的蛛体挥发物(P 0.05)均具有选择偏好性,说明幼蛛倾向于与同种个体接近。我们的研究表明,阴暗拟隙蛛雄蛛、雌蛛及幼蛛的蛛网和蛛体挥发物能诱导种内其他个体的趋向或回避行为,阴暗拟隙蛛幼蛛对同种幼蛛的选择偏好性可能是该种个体在同一地域聚集分布的主要原因。我们的研究从行为学角度证实,阴暗拟隙蛛的蛛网及体表均携带有能够标识其性别和龄期的相关信息化学物质。     

Investigation of two new putative pheromone components of the invasive Australian redback spider,Latrodectus hasseltii,with potential applications for control

The Australian redback spider, Latrodectus hasseltii preys on at least 10 endemic species in New Zealand, highlighting a need for control. Male redbacks are attracted to virgin females by an airborne pheromone. The aim of this study was to analyse the response of male redback spiders to two volatile chemicals found on the silk of virgin but not mated females, to determine whether these compounds constitute components of the airborne pheromone. Mature male redback spiders were placed in an olfactometer where they had a choice of two stimuli. We compared their response to paired combinations of a control, virgin silk, butyric acid and isovaleric acid. Male redbacks responded equally strongly to butyric acid and virgin silk, in terms of time spent near the stimulus. The identification of butyric acid as a component of the airborne sex pheromone of L. hasseltii provides the groundwork for developing a pheromone-based control.     

Gustatory thresholds for food-associated sugars in the spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi)

The purpose of this study was to determine gustatory thresholds for five different food-associated sugars in Ateles geoffroyi. Using a two-bottle test, three adult spider monkeys were found to significantly prefer concentrations as low as 3 mM sucrose, 15 mM fructose, 20 mM glucose, and 10 mM lactose over tap water. Maltose was significantly discriminated down to 20 mM with individual animals showing either a preference or an aversion, or an inverted U-shaped function of preference toward higher concentrations of this carbohydrate. The results showed the spider monkey to respond to lower sugar concentrations compared to other nonhuman primates tested so far and thus support the assumptions that Ateles geoffroyi may use sweetness as a criterion for food selection, and that the remarkably high sweet-taste sensitivity of this frugivorous species might be correlated with its dietary specialization. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Artificial selection for timing of dispersal in predatory mites yields lines that differ in prey exploitation strategies

Dispersal is the main determinant of the dynamics and persistence of predator–prey metapopulations. When defining dispersal as a predator exploitation strategy, theory predicts the existence of a continuum of strategies: from some dispersal throughout the predator–prey interaction (the Milker strategy) to dispersal only after the prey had been exterminated (the Killer strategy). These dispersal strategies relate to differences in prey exploitation at the population level, with more dispersal leading to longer predator–prey interaction times and higher cumulative numbers of dispersing predators. In the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, empirical studies have shown genetic variation for prey exploitation as well as for the timing of aerial dispersal in the presence of prey. Here, we test whether artificial selection for lines that differ in timing of dispersal also results in these lines differing in prey exploitation. Six rounds of selection for early or late dispersal resulted in predator lines displaying earlier or later dispersal. Moreover, it resulted—at the population level—in predicted differences in the local predator–prey interaction time and in the cumulative numbers of dispersers in a population dynamics experiment. We pose that timing of dispersal is a heritable trait that can be selected in P. persimilis, which results in lines that show quantitative differences in local predator–prey dynamics. This opens ways to experimentally investigate the evolution of alternative prey exploitation strategies and to select for predator strains with prey exploitation strategies resulting in better biological control.     

Effect of architectural angularity on refugia selection by the brown spider,Loxosceles gaucho

Some brown spider species infest man‐made environments and pose a threat to human health. Because habitat architecture affects spider populations, I evaluated the preferences of individuals of Loxosceles gaucho (Gertsch) (Araneae: Sicariidae) for refugia with different angular structures. Four differently angled refugia models (acute‐, right‐, obtuse‐angled and cylindrical) were placed on the litter of a forest fragment and observed each month for 1 year. Females of this species were found to prefer refugia with acute angles. This finding brings new information to our understanding of brown spider infestations in man‐made environments: refugia with acute angles are likely to offer more protection for females and their offspring.     

中国红螯蛛属两新种及两种雄蛛新发现(蜘蛛目:管巢蛛科)

本文记述红螯蛛属２新种,即宁明红螯蛛Ｃｈｅｉｒａｃａｎｔｈｉｕｍｎｉｎｇｍｉｎｇｅｎｓｉｓ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ,和思茅红螯蛛Ｃｈｅｉｒａｃａｎｔｈｉｕｍｓｉｍａｏｅｎｓｉｓ,ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ及２种雄性的补充描述,即粗美红螯蛛ＣｈｅｉｒａｃａｎｔｈｉｕｍｅｘｑｕｅｓｔｉｕｍＺｈａｎｇｅｔＺｈｕ,１９９３和纤红螯蛛ＣｈｅｉｒａｃａｎｔｈｉｕｍｆｉｂｒｏｓｕｍＺｈａｎｇｅｔａｌ,１９９４模式标本保存于湖南省生物研     

Do stabilimenta in orb webs attract prey or defend spiders?

Orb-weaving spiders are ideal organisms for the study of conflictbetween behavioral investments in foraging and defense becausetheir webs provide physical manifestations of those investments.We examined the impact of including stabilimenta, designs ofbright-white noncapture silk, at the center of orb webs forforaging and defense in Argiope aurantia. Our findings suggestthat stabilimentum building is a defensive behavior, supportingthe "web advertisement" hypothesis that the high visibilityof stabilimenta can prevent birds from flying through webs.Yet, spiders often do not include stabilimenta in their webs,indicating that a serious cost is associated with them. We alsoshow, through comparison of paired webs with and without stabilimenta,that stabilimenta reduce the prey capture success of spidersby almost 30%. This demonstrates the potential impact that defensivebehaviors of spiders can have on their foraging success andsuggests that much of the variation in stabilimenta may be accountedfor by a cost—benefit trade-off made when including stabilimentain webs.