Spiders of the family Sicariidae pose a serious threat to affected populations, and Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet) is considered the most venomous species. Development of nontoxic olfaction-based spider repellents or traps is hindered by a current lack of knowledge regarding olfactory system function in arachnids. In the present study, general plant odorants and conspecific odors were tested for behavioral responses in L. laeta. Although general odorants triggered neither attraction nor aversion, conspecific odor of the opposite sex caused aversion in females, and attraction in males. These results support the presence of a specific olfactory system for the detection of conspecifics in L. laeta, but suggest the absence of a broadly tuned system for general odorant detection in this species.
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11 May 2017
The Chilean Recluse Spider (Araneae: Sicariidae) Displays Behavioral Responses to Conspecific Odors, but Not to Several General Odorants
Victor Manuel Calbiague,
Jesus Olivares,
Erick Olivares,
Oliver Schmachtenberg
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Journal of Medical Entomology
Vol. 54 • No. 5
September 2017
Vol. 54 • No. 5
September 2017
arachnid
chemosensation
olfaction
pheromone
sicariid