Electrophysiological studies of olfaction in the whip spider Phrynus parvulus (Arachnida, Amblypygi)

Tactile learning by a whip spider, Phrynus marginemaculatus C.L. Koch (Arachnida, Amblypygi)

“…Previous studies have demonstrated the olfactory sensitivity of sensilla on the antenniform legs of whip spiders and hypothesized that they play important roles in the guidance of natural behavior (Hebets and Chapman 2000;Hebets 2002). Here we have also provided the first demonstration of tactile learning in a whip spider, indicating the potential usefulness of tactile cues in the same context.…”

The behavioral ecology of amblypygids

“…Briefly, distinct sensory organs on the legs of amblypygids can detect a variety of substrate-borne and airborne chemical and mechanical cues (Beck et al , 1977Foelix et al 1975;Foelix & Troyer 1980;Hebets & Chapman 2000a;Santer & Hebets 2008, 2009a, b, 2011a) including near-field particle velocity (Robert & Hoy 2007;Santer & Hebets 2008, 2011b) and substrate texture (Santer & Hebets 2009a). Details of these sensory structures and their putative functions were reviewed in Santer & Hebets (2011a).…”

Multimodal sensory reliance in the nocturnal homing of the amblypygid Phrynus pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi)?

“…These "antenniform legs" are highly articulated and covered with thousands of sensory hairs that have mechanosensory and chemosensory functions (Igelmund, 1987;Beck et al, 1977;Foelix, 1975;Santer and Hebets, 2011). The multiporous sensilla, located on the distal ~1 cm of the antenniform legs (reviewed in Santer and Hebets, 2011;Weygoldt, 2000), are confirmed to have an olfactory function (Hebets and Chapman, 2000). The visual capacity of amblypygids, in contrast, is thought to be considerably less impressive, facilitated by eight relatively small, single-lens eyes (reviewed in Santer and Hebets, 2011).…”