Meeting Abstract
Spiders, and in particular, spiders of the genus Schizocosa, serve as model systems for exploring proximate and ultimate questions about the evolution of vibratory signals. However, little is known about the sensory response characteristics of receivers. We analyzed sensory structures on spider legs called metatarsal lyriform organs. Each lyriform organ contains aggregations of slit sensilla that respond to cuticular strain caused by substrate vibrations. At least two neurons innervate each sensillum. Here, we show how distal and proximal slit sensilla respond to male vibratory courtship components. We extracellularly recorded neurons within female S. avida legs as a male courted nearby. Distal slits respond primarily to male leg-tap vibrations while proximal slits respond to both male leg-taps and drumming of pedipalps (male appendages used for sperm transfer). Compared to control preparations in which female leg tarsi were immobilized preventing delivery of substrate vibration, treatment preparations of movable female tarsi yielded reliable neural responses to male courtship. Future work will continue probing the sensory processing features of females and explore how such receiver properties may influence the evolution of male signals.
