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Tag Archives: clade
Behaviors of a Jumping Spider
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJkxZ8LVBn4&feature=plcp
Jumping spiders (Salticidae) are active hunters. They possess special adaptations to discover and finally catch their prey. Their optical sense is very well developed. Additionally, the usual spider shape of the prosoma is distinctly modified: It is elevated upwards and the forehead is steeply rising. The whole prosoma is very motile, what enables the spider optically to observe its prey efficiently. This behvior is clearly visible in the film, although this male spider does not observe a prey, but my camera.
The spiders can perform remarkable jumps to reach their prey, but also to escape in dangerous situations.
The mating behavior is quite complex, but not completely visible in this film. The film ends with a couple, of which the male copulats the female using modified structures of their pedipalps. It’s an indirect copulaton, because the male first needs to deposit its sperm somewhere (usually using a special sperm web) and then finally can fill it into the specialised organs on the pedipalps. It’s the typical copulation-procedure in spiders (Araneae).
To keep its body appendages in good conditions, the spider needs to perform cleaning behaviors, which are also visible in my film.
The Salticidae represent the largest group within the Araneae. Their specal adaptations obviously were suitable key features of the stem species to allow a remarkable radiation.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged adaptations, Arachnida, Araneae, behavior, biodiversity, clade, copulation, evolution, eyes, hunters, hunting, jumpin, Jumping spider, key features, large eyes, male, mating, observe, optical sense, pedipalps, prosoma, radiation, Salticidae, Spinnen, Spinnentiere, Springspinne
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Leafcutter ants in Brazil, São Paulo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_USvVHTo5Ic&feature=plcp
Leafcutter ants belong within the Formicidae Latreille, 1809 to the Myrmicinae. This subgroup represents a clade (= a stem species and all its descendants) and is characterized by a petiolus and a postpetiolus, which represent two small segments connecting the posterior abdomen and the front body.
Leafcutter mainly belong to the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. They are characterized by the behavior to cut plant material, mainly leafes, into pieces and transport them into their nest. Inside many of the nest cavities, the ants cultivate a fungus of the genus Leucoagaricus, which needs these leafes as nutritional substrate.
The large nest consists of a complex pattern of chambers with different functions. Besides the cultivar chambers, detritus chambers (rubbish heaps) are important for the hygenic conditions within such an ant nest.
There is a close symbiosis between fungus and ants: in consequence and due to coevolution the fungus is not able to survive under natural conditions without the ant’s care.
The microclimate inside the nest cavities is additionally influenced by many cohabitants such as beetles, mites and nematodes. Several species of astigmatid mites (e.g. mites of the Histiostomatidae) can be found. These histiostomatids as bacteria feeders might control the bacteria growth especially inside the detritus chambers and could that way benefit to better hygienic conditions inside the ant nest.
Ants in this film were observed in Sao Paolo near the University (USP). Obviously Atta and Acromyrmex (e.g.smaller workers) were filmed.
Only activities outside the nest are visible. Atta sp. was used as example to show the transport of leafes along trails right up to openings in the ground, which are connected to the nest. There, leafes are passed on other workers, which minimize these leafs into smaller pieces.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Acromyrmex, ants, Apfel, apple, Atta, behavior, Blattschneiderameisen, Brazil, clade, detritus chambers, evolution, Formicidae, fungus, fungus chambers, garbage can, Leafcutter ants, Leucoagaricus, major workers, Mülleimer, microclimate, mites, monophyletic group, nematodes, nest opening, nutritional substrate, São Paulo, Stefan F. Wirth, Stefan Wirth, symbiosis, trails, transport of leafes, wirthstef, workers
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Scorpions — Arachnids on guard
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Tagged ancestor, apomorphy, Arachnida, arachnids, Arthropoda, arthropods, behaviour, book lungs, Buchlunge, Chelicerata, clade, evolution, Gliedertiere, Kieferklauenträger, Landgang, lyraförmige Organ, lyriform organs, monophyletic group, monophyletische Gruppe, Monophylum, Pandinus, Pandinus cavimanus, Phylogenie, phylogeny, Scorpiones, scorpions, sense organs, Sinnesorgane, sister group, Skorpione, Spinnentiere, Stefan F. Wirth, Stefan Wirth, stem species, Tierverhalten, trichobothria, Trichobothrien, Verhalten, wirthstef
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Giant Snails
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1799, 20 cm, Achatina fulica, Achatina Lamarck, Achatinidae, agriculture, asymmetric, body, China, clade, East Africa, ecosystems, evolution, foot, giant African land snail, head, invasive species, Landlungenschnecken, lungs, mantle, molluscan foot, pet, phylogeny, Pulmonata, shell, Stefan F. Wirth, Stefan Wirth, Stylommatophora, systematics, tentacles, terraria, wirthstef
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