Sains Malaysiana 53(4)(2024): 733-746

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2024-5304-01

Acoustic Stridulating Responses of Various Tarantula Species in Peninsular Malaysia

(Tindak Balas Stridulasi Akustik Pelbagai Spesies Tarantula di Semenanjung Malaysia)

IRHAM RAZAK¹, DZULHELMI MUHAMMAD NASIR² & AMIRRUDIN AHMAD^1,*

¹Biology and Ecology Research (BERes), Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

²Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Received: 5 September 2023/Accepted: 14 March 2024

Abstract

Stridulation by stridulatory organs has been linked to tarantulas’ (Araneae: Theraphosidae) defence or sexual communication, and the morphology of such organ has been extensively used in tarantula systematics. This study was conducted to characterise and compare differences in the acoustic pattern of stridulating sound among seven tarantula species for juveniles and adults of both sexes in Peninsular Malaysia. The species were Psednocnemis jeremyhuffi, P. brachyramosa, Selenocosmia sp. ‘Johor’, Omothymus violaceopes, Cyriopagopus robustus, Chilobrachys sp. ‘Kedah’, and Coremiocnemis sp. ‘Kelantan’. Five provocation methods were used to record the sound which was by tapping the substrate/enclosure, blowing air, waving a pen, poking with blunt object and shaking the enclosure. The stridulating behaviour was assessed using a set of parameters. The result showed that the stridulating behaviour differed between species. Dwarf species like P. jeremyhuffi and P. brachyramosa did not make any audible stridulating sound and preferred to remain motionless. Meanwhile, for the other five species only the large adult females stridulated. Adult males of all species did not make any audible sounds, but rather appeared to be more aggressive and frequently bite. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that intensity, pitch frequency, call duration and pulse duration were significantly different between species. Principal component analaysis (PCA) showed the dissimilarity between the adult females from the five species with Omothymus violaceopes and Chilobrachys sp. ‘Kedah’ the most distinct in terms of call patterns. This study provides evidence on the acoustics pattern of stridulating sound for the tarantulas in Peninsular Malaysia.

Keywords: Animal behaviour; bioacoustics; sound intensity; stridulation; Theraphosidae

Abstrak

Bunyi desingan telah dikaitkan dengan pertahanan atau komunikasi seksual tarantula (Araneae: Theraphosidae), dan morfologi organ tersebut telah digunakan secara meluas dalam sistematik tarantula. Penyelidikan ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti ciri dan membandingkan perbezaan corak akustik bunyi desingan antara tujuh spesies tarantula bagi juvenil dan dewasa yang terdiri daripada kedua-dua jantina di Semenanjung Malaysia. Spesies tersebut ialah Psednocnemis jeremyhuffi, P. brachyramosa, Selenocosmia sp. ‘Johor’, Omothymus violaceopes, Cyriopagopus robustus, Chilobrachys sp. ‘Kedah’ dan Coremiocnemis sp. ‘Kelantan’. Enam kaedah provokasi telah digunakan untuk merekod bunyi tersebut iaitu dengan mengetuk tanah/sangkar, menghembus udara, menggerakkan pen, mengusik dengan objek tumpul dan menggoncang sangkar. Perilaku berdesing dinilai menggunakan satu set parameter. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa perilaku berdesing berbeza antara spesies. Spesies kerdil seperti P. jeremyhuffi dan P. brachyramosa tidak mengeluarkan sebarang bunyi desingan yang boleh didengari dan lebih memilih untuk tidak bergerak. Sementara itu, untuk lima spesies yang lain hanya betina dewasa sahaja yang dapat berdesing. Jantan dewasa daripada semua spesies tidak mengeluarkan sebarang bunyi yang boleh didengar, sebaliknya kelihatan lebih agresif dan kerap menggigit. Analisis Kruskal-Wallis menunjukkan frekuensi, kekuatan bunyi, tempoh bunyi dan tempoh denyut berbeza secara jelas antara spesies. Analisis komponen prinsipal (PCA) menunjukkan perbezaan antara betina dewasa daripada lima spesies dan mendapati Omothymus violaceopes dan Chilobrachys sp. ‘Kedah’ mempunyai jarak yang ketara dari segi pola bunyi. Kajian ini memberikan bukti tentang corak akustik bunyi desingan untuk tarantula di Semenanjung Malaysia.

Kata kunci: Bioakustik; desingan; kekuatan bunyi; sikap haiwan; Theraphosidae

REFERENCES

Abraham, H.C. 1924. Some mygalomorph spiders from the Malay Peninsula. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. pp. 1091-1124.

Banga, K.S., Kotwaliwale, N., Mohapatra, D., Giri, S.K. & Babu, V.B. 2019. Bioacoustic detection of Callosobruchus chinensis and Callosobruchus maculatus in bulk stored chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and green gram (Vigna radiata). Food Control 104: 278-287.

Barria, M.D., Quirós, D.I. & Emmen, D. 2021. Bioacoustic analysis of a compound sound with stridulation and forced air produced by the larva of Phileurus valgus (Olivier, 1789) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Phileurini). Revista Chilena de Entomología 47(2): 187-194.

Bertani, R., Fukushima, C.S. & da Silva Júnior, P.I. 2008. Two new species of Pamphobeteus Pocock 1901 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) from Brazil, with a new type of stridulatory organ. Zootaxa 1826: 45-58.

Cardoso, P. 2009. Standardization and optimization of arthropod inventories - The case of Iberian spiders. Biodiversity and Conservation 18: 3949-3962.

Edwards, L. 2011. Spider is the Second Most Vibration-Sensitive Creature. https://phys.org/news/2011-10-spider-vibration-sensitive-creature.html Accessed on 22 June 2023.

Evans, T.A. 1999. Kin recognition in a social spider. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 266(1416): 287-292.

Fermo, J.L., Schnaider, M.A., Silva, A.H.P. & Molento, C.F.M. 2019. Only when it feels good: Specific cat vocalizations other than meowing. Animals 9(11): 878-884.

Fukushima, C., Mendoza, J.I., West, R.C., Longhorn, S.J., Rivera, E., Cooper, E.W.T., Hénaut, Y., Henriques, S. & Cardoso, P. 2019. Species conservation profiles of tarantula spiders (Araneae, Theraphosidae) listed on CITES. Biodiversity Data Journal 7: e39342.

Gallon, R.C. 2000. The natural history of tarantula spiders. British Tarantula Society. p. 314.

Henning, F.M., Weberz, H.H. & Schottler, B. 2002. Defensive hissing display of African baboon spiders (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Bioacoustics 13(1): 99.

Hrušková-Martišová, M., Pekár, S. & Gromov, A. 2008. Analysis of the Stridulation in Solifuges (Arachnida: Solifugae). Journal of Insect Behavior 21: 440-449.

Jocque’, R. 2005. Six stridulating organs on one spider (Araneae: Zodariidae): is this the limit? Journal of Arachnology 33: 597-603.

Kaderka, R., Bulantová, J., Heneberg, P. & Řezáč, M. 2019. Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy. PLoS ONE 14(11): 1-43.

Köhler, J., Jansen, M., Rodríguez, A., Kok, P.J.R., Toledo, L.F., Emmrich, M., Glaw, F., Haddad, C.F.B., Rödel, M.O. & Vences, M. 2017. The use of bioacoustics in anuran taxonomy: Theory, terminology, methods and recommendations for best practice. Zootaxa 4251(1): 1-124.

Larsen, H.L., Pertoldi, C., Madsen, N., Randi, E., Stronen, A.V., Root-Gutteridge, H. & Pagh, S. 2022. Bioacoustic detection of wolves: Identifying subspecies and individuals by howls. Animals 12(5): 631-644.

Lima, A.G. & Guadanucci, J.P.L. 2018. Morphology of setae on the coxae and trochanters of theraphosine spiders (Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae). The Journal of Arachnology 46(2): 214-225.

Marshall, S. & Uetz, G. 1993. Growth and maturation of the giant spider Theraphosa leblondi(Latreille) 1804. Revue Arachnologique 10(5): 93-103.

Marshall, S., Thoms, E. & Uetz, G. 1995. Setal entanglement: An undescribed method of stridulation by a Neotropical tarantula (Araneae, Theraphosidae). Journal of Zoology 235: 587-595.

Mascord, R. 1980. Spiders of Australia. 1st ed. Sydney: A.H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd. p. 112.

Mullen, G.R. & Vetter, R.S. 2019. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. 3rd. ed. Chapter 25: Spiders (Araneae). Massachusetts: Academic Press. pp. 507-531.

Pérez-Miles, F., Lucas, S.M., Silva, J.P.I. & Bertani, R. 1996. Systematic revision and cladistic analysis of Theraphosinae (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Mygalomorph 1: 33-68.

Pérez-Miles, F., Oca, L.M.D., Postiglioni, R. & Costa, F.G. 2005. The stridulatory setae of Acanthoscurria suina (Araneae, Theraphosidae) and their possible role in sexual communication: An experimental approach. Iheringia. Série Zoologia 95: 365-371.

Pocock, R.I. 1895. Musical boxes in spiders. Nutritional Sciences 6: 44-50.

Schmidt, G. 1999. Eine Klassifizierung der Stridulationsorgane. Mitteilungen bei der Deutschen Arachnologischen Gesellschaft4(4): 3-5.

Shirey, K. & Rayburn, J.R. 2013. Old World vs. New World: A preliminary comparison of the developmental toxicity of venom from two tarantula species, Grammostola rosea and Haplopelma lividum, using frog embryos from Xenopus laevis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology 157(2): 190-194.

Simon, E. 1903. Histoire naturelle des araignées. Paris 2(4): 669-1080.

Stradling, D.J. 1976. The growth and maturity of the "tarantula", Avicularia avicularia L. Zoological Journal of the Linnear Society 62: 291-303.

Strand, E. 1907. Aviculariidae und Atypidae des Kgl. Naturalienkabinetts in Stuttgart. Jahreshefte des Vereins für vaterländische Naturkunde in Württemberg 63: 1-100.

Thomas, A., Suyesh, R., Biju, S.D. & Bee, M.A. 2014. Vocal behavior of the elusive purple frog of India (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), a fossorial species endemic to the Western Ghats. PLoS ONE 9(3): 1-13.

Turner, S.P., Longhorn, S.J., Hamilton, C.A., Gabriel, R. & Perez-Miles, F. 2017. Re-evaluating conservation priorities of New World tarantulas (Araneae: Theraposidae) in a molecular framework indicates non-monophyly of the genera, Aphonopelma and Brachypelma. Systematics and Biodiversity 16(1): 89-107.

West, R.C., Nunn, S.C. 2010b. A taxonomic revision of the tarantula spider genus Coremiocnemis Simon 1892 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with further notes on the Selenocosmiinae. Zootaxa 2443: 1-64.

Wood-Mason, J. 1877. Note on Mygale stridulans. Transections of the Entomological Society of London 1877: 281-282.

World Spider Catalogue, 2023. World Spider Catalog. Version 24.0. Natural History Museum Bern. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/ Accessed on 22 June 2023.

*Corresponding author; email: amirrudin@umt.edu.my