Unusual Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Egg Case of the Bolas Spider Mastophora corpulenta Banks (Araneae, Araneidae)
Por:
Basiuk, Vladimir A., Salerno, Marco, Heredia, Alejandro, Basiuk, Elena V.
Publicada:
1 ago 2018
Resumen:
Bolas spiders of the genus Mastophora are very uncommon orb-weaver spiders, famous for their unusual predatory behavior. Being strictly nocturnal and very cryptic, they are extremely difficult to reveal, which explains their rarity in world arachnological collections. After a recent finding of an adult female of Mastophora corpulenta Banks (one of especially rare representatives of the genus), a few egg cases of this species became available, which seem to be very different from those of more common spiders due to their unusual hardness and coloration. We characterized some spectral, structural, and mechanical properties of this unusual silk material, by using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 3D profilometer imaging, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). For comparison, similar studies were performed for egg cases of the Southern black widow Latrodectus mactans Fabricius, since spiders of the genus Latrodectus are known to produce silk fibers of comparable toughness. Some similarities were observed between the silks produced by Mastophora corpulenta and Latrodectus mactans in terms of the size and chemical composition of egg cases. At the same time, SEM imaging and AFM force characterization revealed striking differences between them, due to the fact that Mastophora egg cases, unlike those produced by more common Araneae species, includes a solid (fused) wall, lacking evident porous structure, which results in their outstanding stiffness and strength. © 2018, The Korean Fiber Society and Springer Nature B.V.
Filiaciones:
Basiuk, Vladimir A.:
Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior C.U., Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ciencias Nucl, Circuito Exterior CU, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Salerno, Marco:
Materials Characterization Facility, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Liguria, Genova 16163, Italy
Ist Italiano Tecnol, Mat Characterizat Facil, I-16163 Genoa, Liguria, Italy
Heredia, Alejandro:
Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior C.U., Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Inst Ciencias Nucl, Circuito Exterior CU, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Basiuk, Elena V.:
Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior C.U., Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico
Univ Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Ctr Ciencias Aplicadas & Desarrollo Tecnol, Circuito Exterior CU, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
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