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J Chem Ecol

Title:		"The Scent Glands of the Neotropical Harvestman Discocyrtus pectnifemur: Morphology, Behavior and Chemistry"
Author(s):		Segovia JM; Hara MR; Pagoti GF; Sannomiya M; Santos DY; Willemart RH;
Address:		"Programa de Pos Graduacao em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Laboratorio de Ecologia Sensorial e Comportamento de Artropodes (LESCA), Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. Escola de Artes Ciencias e Humanidades, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1000 - Ermelino Matarazzo, 03828-000, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. Departamento de Botanica, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua do Matao 277, 05508-090, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. Programa de Pos Graduacao em Zoologia, Instituto de Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. willemart@usp.br. Laboratorio de Ecologia Sensorial e Comportamento de Artropodes (LESCA), Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. willemart@usp.br. Escola de Artes Ciencias e Humanidades, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Rua Arlindo Bettio, 1000 - Ermelino Matarazzo, 03828-000, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil. willemart@usp.br. Programa de Pos Graduacao em Ecologia e Evolucao, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil. willemart@usp.br"
Journal Title:		J Chem Ecol
Year:		2015
Volume:		20150814
Issue:		8
Page Number:		716 - 723
DOI:		10.1007/s10886-015-0612-8
ISSN/ISBN:		1573-1561 (Electronic) 0098-0331 (Linking)
Abstract:		"Harvestmen have a pair of scent glands that open through ozopores. The literature suggests a link between the morphology of the ozopore area and the emission of a defensive secretion. A previous study on a species that aggregates in open areas, where individuals are probably more easily spotted by predators, showed that this defensive secretion causes conspecifics to flee. However, it is unknown whether this behavior occurs in species that aggregate in sheltered areas, where prey are harder to find. Herein, we describe the morphology of the ozopore area, the mode of emission of the defensive secretion, and its chemical composition in the harvestman Discocyrtus pectinifemur. We also tested if the defensive secretion is used as an alarm pheromone. We found that D. pectinifemur releases the defensive secretion in different ways, one of them being as a jet. Emission as a jet contrasts with that known for all congeners previously studied, and is in accord with the expected morphology of the ozopore. We found that the defensive secretion of D. pectinifemur does not function as an alarm pheromone. The composition of the defensive secretion, a mixture of quinones, is congruent with those already described for the clade that includes Discocyrtus. Our results support the link between the morphology of the scent glands area and the emission behavior of the defensive secretion, and they suggest that the alarm pheromone function in harvestmen may be dependent on ecological factors"
Keywords:		Animals Arachnida/anatomy & histology/chemistry/*physiology Female Male Pheromones/analysis Scent Glands/anatomy & histology/chemistry/physiology Arachnida Chemical defense Chemical ecology Defensive behavior Defensive secretion Gonyleptidae Opiliones Ozo;
Notes:		"MedlineSegovia, Julio M G Hara, Marcos Ryotaro Pagoti, Guilherme Ferreira Sannomiya, Miriam Santos, Deborah Y A C Willemart, Rodrigo Hirata eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2015/08/15 J Chem Ecol. 2015 Aug; 41(8):716-23. doi: 10.1007/s10886-015-0612-8. Epub 2015 Aug 14"