New predatory interaction of Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) on Fidicinini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a forest fragment of the Neotropical region

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  New predatory interaction of Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) on Fidicinini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a forest fragment of the Neotropical region Abstract Trichonephila clavipes (Araneae: Nephilidae) is an orb web-building spider whose diet is primarily based on flying insects. This note aims to report the first predatory interaction of T. clavipes on a cicada of the genus Fidicina (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The predation event was observed (ad libitum) in the Benjamin Maranhão Botanical Garden situated in the Mata do Buraquinho Wildlife Refuge, northeastern Brazil. A specimen of Fidicina sp. was found freshly dead and trapped in the web of T. clavipes. The nephilid was observed moving slowly between the ventral and dorsal regions of the Fidicina sp. without weaving a web around the cicadid. Then, T. clavipes was observed perched on the left side of the Fidicina sp., with its pedipalps and chelicerae manipulating the thorax ...

Primary cell culture from embryos of the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

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Primary cell culture from embryos of the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Background

Spiders have emerged as valuable models in evolutionary developmental biology, but primary cell cultures from spider embryonic tissues have not been fully explored. In this study, we describe the first successful long-term cultivation of embryonic cells from the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum. We initiated five independent primary cultures using mechanical and enzymatic dissociation methods, comparing two culture media, Leibovitz’s L-15 and Grace’s Insect Medium, under varying pH conditions.

Results

Cultures exhibited diverse cell morphologies, including round cells in suspension and elongated, neuron-like cells. The most successful culture, initiated with Grace’s medium at pH 7, was passaged four times and maintained for over six months. We also tested collagen type I-coated wells to improve cell adhesion. Our results indicate that P. tepidariorum embryonic cells proliferate better at pH 7, and Grace’s medium supports long-term growth, while L-15 promotes more cell differentiation.

Conclusions

This culture system provides a valuable platform for functional genomics studies, with potential applications in evolutionary and developmental biology research.


Afrah Hassan, Giulia Zancolli. Primary cell culture from embryos of the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, 24 October 2024, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5312272/v1]