COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ODOR DISCRIMINATION IN WHIP SPIDERS

• Published in: The Ohio journal of science Vol. 118; no. 1; p. A6
• Main Authors: Moore, Meghan E, Wiegmann, Daniel D, Bingman, Verner P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Columbus Ohio Academy of Science 01.04.2018
• Subjects: Comparative analysis; Conditioning; Entrances; Hexanol; Latency; Odors; Olfactory discrimination; Olfactory discrimination learning; Olfactory stimuli; Phrynus pseudoparvulus; Shelters; Spiders; Training
• ISSN: 0030-0950; 2471-9390

The subtropical whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus (Amblypygi), can learn to discriminate between visually similar, but different shelters based on olfactory cues. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the tropical amblypygid, Phrynus pseudoparvulus would display the same discriminatory behavior, given the different selective pressures. It is hypothesized that when given a choice between two visually identical shelters, Phrynus pseudoparvulus will choose the shelter containing the odor to which they are trained. Amblypygids were placed in a white rectangular arena (29 cm x 14 cm) with two entrances to a shelter, one facing each short side of the rectangle. Each shelter contained one of two odors, hexanol or geraniol, and subjects (n = 8) were randomly assigned to a shelter. Two tests and 3 conditioning trials (T,t,t,t,T), each lasting up to 10 minutes, were performed each day over a 5 day period. During test trials, the entrance to both shelters were blocked and the amblypygid could approach but not enter either shelter. In training trials, the conditioned shelter (hexanol or geraniol) was opened while the other shelter remained blocked. During training, subjects could enter only the training shelter and were scored by the latency to enter the shelter. Additionally, in both training and test trials, subjects were scored by the time spent in each quadrant of the arena. When subjects were given a choice between both shelters, they more often chose the shelter to which they were trained. Providing evidence that P. pseudoparvulus are able to discriminate between these two odors.