Analysis of the Stridulation in Solifuges (Arachnida: Solifugae) |
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Authors: | Martina Hrušková-Martišová Stano Pekár Alexandr Gromov |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic;(2) Institute of Zoology, Akademgorodok, Almaty, Kazakhstan |
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Abstract: | Stridulation in solifuges has not been investigated yet. We performed a comparative analysis of the stridulatory organs and sounds produced by juveniles of various developmental stages and adults (both sexes) of Galeodes caspius subfuscus Birula. The stridulatory organ is of similar morphology in all developmental stages. The sound that they produced was a broad frequency hissing, composed of one or two chirps with maximum at 2.4 kHz. The intensity of the sound was found to increase with body size. Otherwise, no differences were observed between stridulation in juvenile, male and female individuals. Therefore, we suggest that the stridulation in solifuges has primarily a defensive role. As solifuges are neither venomous nor unpalatable, they might imitate an accoustically aposematic organism that shares the same habitat and has similar circadian activity, e.g. vipers. It may also have an intraspecific function in reduction of cannibalistic tendencies. |
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Keywords: | Camel-spiders defensive behaviour sound production stridulatory organ warning sound |
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