Linda Hernández

James Cook University

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Tasmin L. Rymer

James Cook University

David T. Wilson

Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine

Misha K. Rowell

James Cook University

Stephen Maxwell

James Cook University

Gilbert Barrantes

Universidad de Costa Rica

Anita Aisenberg

Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable

Gonzalo E. Fajardo Medina

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Jorge Molina

Universidad de Los Andes

Luz Stella Fuentes

Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano

Juliana Cifuentes Cuartas

Cooperative Institutions

University of Jyväskylä

Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano

James Cook University

Universidad de Costa Rica

University of Helsinki

University of Cambridge

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine

Universidad de Los Andes

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

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Post-embryonic development stages of Tityus columbianus (Thorell, 1846), (Scorpiones, Buthidae): morphometric estimation approach

Revista Mutis (2017)

Matías Gómez‐Corrales Eduardo Flórez Linda Hernández Gonzalo E. Fajardo Medina

Poca información existe sobre el ciclo de vida y número de mudas por los cuales pasa Tityus columbianus (Thorell, 1846) para alcanzar la madurez. En este studio, el número de estados de desarrollo posembriónico fue determimnado usando herramientas de morfometría geométrica y a través de las ecuaciones clàsicas de Pzibram & Megusâr (1984). Los análisis incluyeron digitalización de imagenes, definición de puntos de referencia homólogos (o “landmarks”) y derivación de matrices basadas en distancias Euclidianas. Los análisis permiten esatablecer que T. columbianus pasa por seis a siete estados (mudas) en su desarrollo post-embrionario.

10.21789/22561498.1257

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Citations (1)

Tuning in to the male: evidence contradicting sexually antagonistic coevolution models of sexual selection in Leucauge mariana (Araneae Tetragnathidae)

Ethology Ecology & Evolution (2019)

Laura Segura-Hernández Anita Aisenberg Eric Vargas Linda Hernández William G. Eberhard

Male courtship signals often stimulate female sense organs whose sensitivities originally evolved under natural selection. In classic female choice models of sexual selection, females can benefit from increasing their sensitivity and responsiveness to male stimuli; but in sexually antagonistic models, increased female sensitivity or responsiveness to males could increase the costs that females are thought to suffer from male stimulation. We tested these contrasting expectations in a previously discovered sexually dimorphic trait in the spider Leucauge mariana: 12 elongate setae on the female’s sternum that are deflected by movements of the male’s cheliceral fangs during copulation. By removing these setae, we tested whether this stimulation induces female responses that favor the male’s chances of paternity. We found that these stimuli induced females to add a product crucial to the formation of copulatory plugs. These results do not fit expectations from sexually antagonistic coevolution models of sexual selection. This conclusion resembles the heretofore unappreciated implications of specialized female sense organs in other species, and of the temporary increases in female sensitivities and responsiveness to male stimuli during the breeding season in female fish and frogs.

Antagonistic Coevolution

Trait

Sexual dimorphism

Coevolution

Courtship display

10.1080/03949370.2019.1682058

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Citations (4)

The role of epigynal setae in mate choice in the orb-weaver Leucauge argyra

Ethology Ecology & Evolution (2022)

Linda Hernández Gilbert Barrantes

Male and female genital morphology may have strong effects on fitness in spiders. Females of some species of Leucauge produce mating plugs that partially or totally block the entrances to their insemination ducts on the epigynum, forming barriers that reduce the probabilities of future inseminations. While in some species both females and males participate in plug formation, the mating plugs in L. argyra are produced exclusively by females. The epigynum of L. argyra (Walckenaer 1841) is unusual in having a prominent ventral process covered on its anterior side and around its base with long, thick setae. We tested whether male stimulation of these epigynal setae affected female plug formation by removing them from some females but not others. Females lacking setae produced mating plugs immediately after copulation less often than unmanipulated females. However, 24 hr later the mating plugs had disappeared in many females of the treatment group. Setae removal did not affect the amount of sperm stored in the female spermatheca, or the frequency of female attacks. The rate of male genital inflations correlated positively, but mating duration was negatively correlated with sperm stored in female’s spermathecae. Females attempted to attack small males more often than large males. These findings contribute to our understanding of the function of the setae associated with the female genitalia, and the effect of their tactile stimulation on plug formation, and transference of spermatozoids.

Spermatheca

Sex organ

10.1080/03949370.2022.2059786

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Citations (1)

Defining and Bringing Relevance of Meaning to Species Group-Level Taxa

Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington (2021)

Stephen Maxwell Tasmin L. Rymer Misha K. Rowell Linda Hernández David Berschauer

[Extract] A definition for differing terminal taxa in nomenclature is needed to make them practically relevant. The International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature(1999) provides for two levels: species and subspecies. At present species and subspecies are used interchangeably and arbitrarily. We examine both concepts, with a focus on practical applications of these terms.

Subspecies

Relevance

10.2988/006-324x-134.1.27-28

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Citations (2)

Shape of male palpal hook affects female sexual cannibalism in Leucauge mariana (Araneae: Tetragnathidae)

Journal of Arachnology (2019)

Linda Hernández Jorge Molina Anita Aisenberg

In the Colombian orb-web spider Leucauge mariana (Taczanowski, 1881) (Tetragnathidae), both sexes contribute to mating plug formation. Males of this species show a conductor hook that could be involved in providing stability to the mating pair and used for mating plug removal. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the shape of the conductor hook in L. mariana and mating duration, the amount of sperm stored, and the occurrence of sexual cannibalism. We used geometric morphometric tools for studying the conductor hook shape. The width of the base of the conductor hook was negatively correlated with the probability of sexual cannibalism by females (PC2 = 0.017), but we did not find a significant relation with mating duration and the amount of sperm transferred. Female choice on male hook shape, or on the stability provided by the hook during the mating position, could be occurring in this species.

Hook

Cannibalism

10.1636/joa-s-18-058

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Citations (1)

Population Structure of Canarium labiatum (Röding, 1798) (Mollusca: Neostromboidae: Strombidae) on Green Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland (2020)

Stephen Maxwell Misha K. Rowell Linda Hernández Tasmin L. Rymer

Canarium labiatumis a small gastropod of the Strombidae family that is commonly encountered in the inter-tidal zones of tropical Queensland, Australia, yet little is known of its population structure.A targeted survey of the Canarium labiatum population on Green Island, located near Cairns, Queensland, was conducted on 12 August 2015.Ninety adult specimens were collected, of which 49 were female and 41 were male.The sample demonstrated significant sexual axiallength size dimorphism, with a bias towards larger females.While we collected more females than males, this did not represent a statistically significant bias, and rather may reflect the clustering nature of the sample.In addition, there was no evidence of pseudohermaphroditism in females within the population under consideration.Interestingly, 11.1% of the sample did not show banding and brown/grey-blue maculations on a light grey shell, the typical colour pattern associated with Canarium labiatum.This paper fills a knowledge gap in Queensland's Canarium labiatum population structure and provides a basis for a wider study into the size dynamics of Strombidae in general, but Canarium in particular.

10.5962/p.357882

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A NEW SPECIES OF OIDAEMATOPHORUS (LEPIDOPTERA: PTEROPHORIDAE) FROM CHINGAZA NATIONAL NATURAL PARK IN COLOMBIA

Tropical lepidoptera research (2014)

Linda Hernández Luz Stella Fuentes Gonzalo Fajardo Deborah L. Matthews

Oidaematophorus espeletiae, sp. nov., is described from the Chingaza paramo in Colombia. The life history, external characters of the adult, male and female genitalia, final instar larva, and pupa are described and illustrated. This moth species is widely distributed in the paramo. Larvae cause damage in meristem leaves of frailejones (Espeletia spp., Asteraceae). Identification and continuing studies of this moth are important to determine its potential role in the reported death of numerous frailejones in the area. The hosts, Espeletia grandiflora and E. uribei are some of the keystone species of the paramo ecosytem. Resumen - Se describe Oidaematophorus espeletiae, sp. nov del paramo de Chingaza, Colombia. Se describen e ilustran la historia de vida, caracteres externos del adulto, genitalia de macho y hembra, ultimo instar larval, y pupa. Esta polilla se encuentra ampliamente distribuida en el paramo. Las larvas ocasionan danos en las hojas del meristemo de los frailejones (Espeletia spp., Asteraceae). La identificacion y futuros estudios de esta polilla son importantes para determinar su rol potencial en la mortalidad de estas plantas. Los huespedes Espeletia grandiflora y E. uribei, son algunas de las especies fundamentales del ecosistema de paramo.

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Mating plugs and sexual cannibalism in the Colombian orb‐web spider Leucauge mariana

Ethology (2017)

Linda Hernández Anita Aisenberg Jorge Molina

Abstract In Leucauge orb‐web spiders, females form mating plugs, which play a part in cryptic female choice after they evaluate male performance during courtship and mating. Our aim was to assess sexual behavior and mating plug formation of Leucauge mariana from Colombia ( CO ). We carried out mating trials to describe in detail courtship and mating behavior of sexual pairs from the CO population, and then compared the results to previously collected data from a Costa Rican population ( CR ). In addition, we assessed the amount of sperm transferred during mating predict plug formation in CO pairs. All CO virgin females mated ( n = 23), and mating plug formation occurred in only 11 cases (48%). In contrast, all CR virgin females mated ( n = 43) and 74% formed mating plugs. None of the male courtship or mating behaviors that we measured in CO pairs predicted mating plug formation, in contrast to previous reports from CR . Mating plugs of CO consisted of a matrix of unknown composition (77.2%) and encapsulated and decapsulated sperm (22.8%). In CR , plug composition varied in color and consistency, but also comprised a matrix with encapsulated and decapsulated sperm. We observed female cannibalism of males in CO pairs, which had never been reported in CR pairs. Some female displays during courtship and mating were unique to each population. Different female preferences could explain the observed geographic differences between L. mariana in male traits and behaviors that could, in turn, promote reproductive isolation. More studies are needed to test this hypothesis.

10.1111/eth.12697

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Citations (5)

Behaviour of the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus over different contexts, time, and stimuli

Toxicon X (2022)

Linda Hernández David T. Wilson Tasmin L. Rymer

Atrax robustus is an iconic Australian spider because the venom can be lethal to humans. Moreover, some of the venom biomolecules have promise as therapeutic and bioinsecticidal leads. Nonetheless, aspects related to the life history and behaviour of this species, which might influence changes in venom components, have been overlooked. We assessed different behavioural traits (antipredator behaviour, defensiveness and activity) of juveniles and adult females across different contexts (predation, conspecific tolerance and exploration of a new territory) and stimuli (puff of air versus prod) over time. Adults responded to a puff of air faster than juveniles, but in response to a prod, both juveniles and adults become more defensive over time. No differences were observed between adults and juveniles for conspecific tolerance and exploration. Understanding behaviour of venomous species is important because behaviours may affect physiological traits, such as venom, and the ability of spiders to adapt to different conditions.

Escape response

10.1016/j.toxcx.2022.100093

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Citations (5)

Beyond spider personality: The relationships between behavioral, physiological, and environmental factors

Ecology and Evolution (2021)

Linda Hernández David T. Wilson Mark Briffa Tasmin L. Rymer

Abstract Spiders are useful models for testing different hypotheses and methodologies relating to animal personality and behavioral syndromes because they show a range of behavioral types and unique physiological traits (e.g., silk and venom) that are not observed in many other animals. These characteristics allow for a unique understanding of how physiology, behavioral plasticity, and personality interact across different contexts to affect spider's individual fitness and survival. However, the relative effect of extrinsic factors on physiological traits (silk, venom, and neurohormones) that play an important role in spider survival, and which may impact personality, has received less attention. The goal of this review is to explore how the environment, experience, ontogeny, and physiology interact to affect spider personality types across different contexts. We highlight physiological traits, such as neurohormones, and unique spider biochemical weapons, namely silks and venoms, to explore how the use of these traits might, or might not, be constrained or limited by particular behavioral types. We argue that, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the flexibility and persistence of specific behavioral types in spiders, it is necessary to incorporate these underlying mechanisms into a synthesized whole, alongside other extrinsic and intrinsic factors.

Neurohormones

Behavioral syndrome

Affect

10.1002/ece3.7243

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Citations (10)