Chemical Secretion Use Varies Among Species but Lacks a Straightforward Relationship With Other Defenses in Neotropical Opiliones

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  Chemical Secretion Use Varies Among Species but Lacks a Straightforward Relationship With Other Defenses in Neotropical Opiliones ABSTRACT Chemical secretion deployment is a widespread defensive strategy in arthropods, typically aimed at surviving encounters with predators. However, the ecological forces shaping variation in its use across species remain unclear. We quantified chemical secretion behavior in 11 sympatric species of Prionostemma within the understudied arachnid order Opiliones. We surveyed species in two distinct forests in Costa Rica and tested their secretion propensity when stimulated, and whether these differences correlate with interspecific variation in morphology, leg-loss levels, or social behavior. We found that species varied in their tendency to release chemical secretions, forming a continuous gradient from taxa that rarely secreted to those that secreted in nearly all encounters. However, this variation was not explained by body size or leg loss. Spec...

Photographic evidence of mite parasitism on a jumping spider Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) from Gujarat, Western India.

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Photographic evidence of mite parasitism on a jumping spider Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) from Gujarat, Western India.

Abstract

Parasitism is a common ecological relationship, although records of mite on spiders in India are sparse. During a field survey in Danta village of Gujarat state, a jumping spider Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) (Salticidae) was observed bearing a Parasitengon mite on its carapace and photographed using a smartphone equipped with macro-lens. This is the first photographic evidence of mite parasitism in this spider species from Gujarat. The record adds to the little understanding of spider-mite relationships in India, emphasising the need for further investigations on their variety and ecological significance.
Parmar,S. I. and Parmar,Y. A., 20260343944, English, Journal article, Turkey, 1306-3022, 21, (1), Ankara, Munis Entomology & Zoology, (562–565), MUNIS Research Group (MRG), Photographic evidence of mite parasitism on a jumping spider Hyllus semicupreus (Simon, 1885) from Gujarat, Western India., (2026)