雌蛛拖丝在星豹蛛和拟环纹豹蛛物种识别中的作用

Female dragline-mediated species recognition between the wolf spiders Pardosa astrigera and Pardosa pseudoannulata

通过比较狼蛛科豹蛛属的星豹蛛和拟环纹豹蛛雄蛛分别在两种雌蛛释放的拖丝上的求偶行为差异,验证两种豹蛛雌蛛拖丝上化学信息物质在物种识别中的作用.研究发现,两种雄性豹蛛在同种雌蛛拖丝上的求偶潜伏时间都显著短于在异种雌蛛拖丝上的求偶潜伏时间,两种雄性豹蛛在同种雌蛛拖丝上的求偶强度都显著强于异种雌蛛拖丝上的求偶强度.可见雄性豹蛛能通过雌蛛拖丝上的化学信息物质进行种内识别.

Chemical signals play important roles on species recognition, mate recognition and mate assessment. Current research in Lycosidae most focuses on the dragline-mediated chemical cues in mate recognition and mate assessment.Depending on the dragline-mediated chemical cues, male wolf spiders are able to discriminate sex, developmental period and female mating status. In the present study, in order to investigate whether male wolf spiders could discriminate conspecific females through female dragline-mediated chemical cues, we compared male courtship behaviour when males were exposed to the draglines from conspecific and heterospecific females between the two closely related species （Pardosa astrigera and P. pseudoannulata）. Our results indicated that male courtship latency was significantly delayed and courtship intensity substantially decreased when the male wolf spiders were exposed to the draglines of heterospecifics females compared with those of conspecifics females. Male wolf spiders of 19. astrigera and P. pseudoannulata are capable of chemically discriminating between conspecifics and heterospecifics females.