雌星豹蛛性信息素的行为学证据

采用星豹蛛(Pardosa astrigera)成熟雄蛛求偶时潜伏时间、静止时间、身体震动和第一墩步足伸展次数等行为参数,利用行为学方法测定了不同性别、日龄和生殖状态的星豹蛛雌蛛释放的拖丝对雄蛛求偶行为的影响。结果表明,雄蛛第一对步足伸展和身体震动等典型求偶行为是进行星豹蛛性信息素生物测定的可靠评价指标。星豹蛛雄蛛能通过拖丝上的性信息素辨别星豹蛛的性别、日龄和生殖状态。雄蛛在成熟3周未交配雌蛛拖丝处理过滤纸上潜伏时间和静止时间都相应最短,在交配未产卵雌蛛、雌亚成蛛和成熟雄蛛拖丝上时间中等,在卵孵化雌蛛拖丝处理滤纸上潜伏时间和静止时间都相应最长。成熟3周未交配雌蛛和交配未产卵雌蛛释放的拖丝都能引起雄蛛第一对步足伸展和身体震动等典型求偶行为,雄蛛对成熟3周未交配雌蛛拖丝典型求偶行为的频率都相应高于交配未产卵雌蛛。卵孵化雌蛛释放的拖丝虽也能引起雄蛛第一对步足伸展行为,但其伸展频率显著降低;而其它拖丝都不能引起雄蛛典型求偶行为。

Behavioral evidence for a sex pheromone in female wolf spiders Pardosa astrigera

We explored whether the draglines collected from spiders Pardosa astrigera of different sexes, ages and reproductive status influenced male courtship behaviors. Our results showed that male P.astrigera were able to discriminate draglines deposited by conspecifics on the basis of a sex pheromone. Male courtship latency and stationary time were shortest on draglines of 3-week-old virgin females, followed by draglines of mated females, subadult females and adult males, and longest on that of the egg-hatched females. Key male courtship behavioral elements, such leg raises and body shakes, were strongly elicited by draglines of the 3-week-old virgin and mated females, but the courtship intensity of the former was greater than that of the latter. Although draglines deposited by egg-hatched females elicited leg raising by male P.astrigera, response frequencies were significantly lower than those elicited by the draglines of 3-week-old virgins and mated females. Our results demonstrate that the key courtship behavioral elements of male P.astrigera are mediated by a female dragline-derived contact sex pheromone.