A revised and dated phylogeny of cobweb spiders (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae): A predatory Cretaceous lineage diversifying in the era of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Liu, Jie; May‐Collado, Laura J.; Pekár, Stano; Agnarsson, Ingi

doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.09.023

Cited by 65 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 144 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Within theridiids, MiSp sequences from Latrodectus species group together, S. grossa MiSp variants form a sister clade to Latrodectus MiSp variants, and P. tepidariorum MiSp is sister to Latrodectus and Steatoda MiSp variants. Within Latrodectus, L. geometricus MiSp variants form a sister clade to L. hesperus and L. tredecimguttatus MiSp variants; these patterns are congruent with species relationships [34, 35] (Fig. 6).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…The latter switched the placement of Uloboridae and Deinopidae. For relationships among theridiid species we used Liu et al [35] and Garb et al [34]. Relationships among nephilid species were based on Kuntner et al [69].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Minor ampullate silk was assumed to be composed only of MiSp and for each species all available MiSp motif percentages were averaged to estimate composition. To account for phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary distances among species we calculated phylogenetic independent contrasts using APE [72] implemented in R. We used estimates of divergence time from three published molecular clock studies [35, 38, 39] for branch lengths (see Additional file 1: Figure S6).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Duplication and concerted evolution of MiSp-encoding genes underlie the material properties of minor ampullate silks of cobweb weaving spiders

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundOrb-web weaving spiders and their relatives use multiple types of task-specific silks. The majority of spider silk studies have focused on the ultra-tough dragline silk synthesized in major ampullate glands, but other silk types have impressive material properties. For instance, minor ampullate silks of orb-web weaving spiders are as tough as draglines, due to their higher extensibility despite lower strength. Differences in material properties between silk types result from differences in their component proteins, particularly members of the spidroin (spider fibroin) gene family. However, the extent to which variation in material properties within a single silk type can be explained by variation in spidroin sequences is unknown. Here, we compare the minor ampullate spidroins (MiSp) of orb-weavers and cobweb weavers. Orb-web weavers use minor ampullate silk to form the auxiliary spiral of the orb-web while cobweb weavers use it to wrap prey, suggesting that selection pressures on minor ampullate spidroins (MiSp) may differ between the two groups.ResultsWe report complete or nearly complete MiSp sequences from five cobweb weaving spider species and measure material properties of minor ampullate silks in a subset of these species. We also compare MiSp sequences and silk properties of our cobweb weavers to published data for orb-web weavers. We demonstrate that all our cobweb weavers possess multiple MiSp loci and that one locus is more highly expressed in at least two species. We also find that the proportion of β-spiral-forming amino acid motifs in MiSp positively correlates with minor ampullate silk extensibility across orb-web and cobweb weavers.ConclusionsMiSp sequences vary dramatically within and among spider species, and have likely been subject to multiple rounds of gene duplication and concerted evolution, which have contributed to the diverse material properties of minor ampullate silks. Our sequences also provide templates for recombinant silk proteins with tailored properties.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0927-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Duplication and concerted evolution of MiSp-encoding genes underlie the material properties of minor ampullate silks of cobweb weaving spiders

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…curacaviensis, [16]) and 2n=29 (T. pictum; [9]) were reported. According to [17], a phylogenetic study based on the sequences for twomitochondrial genes: cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and ribosomal RNA16S (16S), and three nuclear genes: ribosomal RNAs 18S (18S) and 28S (28S), and histone (H3) on the Theridiidae family, the results of the sequence analysis showed that Steatoda and Latrodectus were closely related genera. In another study, Steatoda and Latrodectus species were found to be closed taxa [18].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Karyotype features based on diploid number and sex chromosome system of Steatoda grossa (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Turkey

Kumbıçak

2019

Sakarya University Journal of Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, karyotypic investigation of Steatoda grossa belonging to the family Theridiidae was carried out to contribute cytogenetic relationships of the family. A standard air-drying method was used to obtain chromosome slides including three main steps as hypotonisation, fixation and staining. As a result, the diploid number and sex chromosome system was determined as 2n♂=22 (X1X2). All chromosomes were telocentric and gradually decreased in size. Sex chromosomes were positively heteropycnotic in the stages of meiosis I, and isopycnotic in meiosis II. The results showed the similarity with the previous investigations obtained from different populations.

show abstract

“…Courtship signals of the closely related [31] false black widow spider, Steatoda grossa, seem even more complex and thus worthy of study. Males of a North American population engage in web-reduction behavior resembling that of L. hesperus [32][33][34], whereas S. grossa males in Europe produce audible stridulatory courtship sound (1 kHz and 3-7 kHz) (see S1 Fig) [34][35][36][37][38] by abdominal up-and down movements (0.008 s and 0.005 s, respectively) causing teethlike structures on the abdomen to scrape over ridges on the cephalothorax (prosoma) [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal and multifunctional signaling? – Web reduction courtship behavior in a North American population of the false black widow spider

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Males of widow spiders courting on the web of females engage in web-reduction behavior which entails excising a section of the web, bundling it up, and wrapping it with their silk. Males of the false black widow spider, Steatoda grossa, in European populations also produce stridulatory courtship sound which has not yet been studied in their invaded North American range. Working with a North American population of S. grossa, we tested the hypotheses that (1) web reduction by males renders webs less attractive to rival males; (2) deposition of silk by courting males has an inter-sexual (male-female) signal function that enhances their likelihood of copulation; and (3) stridulatory sound is a courtship signal of males. Testing anemotactic attraction of males in Y-tube olfactometer experiments revealed that reduced webs (indicative of a mated female) and intact webs (indicative of a virgin female) were equally attractive to males. Recording courtship behavior of males with either functional (silk-releasing) spinnerets or spinnerets experimentally occluded on the web of virgin females showed that males with functional spinnerets were more likely to copulate with the female they courted. Although males possess the stridulatory apparatus to produce courtship sound, they did not stridulate when courting or copulating on the web of females. Our data support the conclusion that web-reduction behavior of S. grossa males in their invaded North American range has no long-range effect on mate seeking males. Instead, web-reduction behavior has an inter-sexual signaling function that seems to be linked to functional spinnerets of the courting male. The signal produced by a male likely entails a volatile silk-borne pheromone, but may also embody a gauge of his endurance (the amount of time he engages in web reduction causing web vibrations).

show abstract

A revised and dated phylogeny of cobweb spiders (Araneae, Araneoidea, Theridiidae): A predatory Cretaceous lineage diversifying in the era of the ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Cited by 65 publications

References 144 publications

Duplication and concerted evolution of MiSp-encoding genes underlie the material properties of minor ampullate silks of cobweb weaving spiders

Duplication and concerted evolution of MiSp-encoding genes underlie the material properties of minor ampullate silks of cobweb weaving spiders

Karyotype features based on diploid number and sex chromosome system of Steatoda grossa (Araneae: Theridiidae) from Turkey

Multimodal and multifunctional signaling? – Web reduction courtship behavior in a North American population of the false black widow spider

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About