- 著者
-
野口 大介
- 出版者
- 関西クモ研究会
- 雑誌
- くものいと
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.54, pp.10-40, 2021-03-25
The present review focuses on the chemoecology of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). All cases of spider sex pheromones, kairomones, defensive and offensive chemical mimicries, and antimicrobial peptides reported previously in literature are described herein. Although ca. 49 thousand spider species are recognized globally, only 11 spider sex pheromones (contact or airborne) have only been identified from seven species. In addition, almost all the sex pheromones are released by females to attract males, while only one sex pheromone is released by males to appease females. To date, 17 spider species have been reported to have kairomones, which facilitate the searching and evaluation of prey. Chemical mimicry, which facilitates camouflage and protects against parasites in ant colonies, has also been observed among myrmecophile spiders. Additionally, aggressive chemical mimicry has been reported in bolas spiders, which attract moths using kairomones that mimic the sex pheromones of the targets. Four types of antimicrobial peptides that protect spiders from microorganisms have also been reported. Although some researchers have demonstrated the antimicrobial activities of spider web threads, the compounds responsible for the antimicrobial activity remain unclear. The chemoecology of spiders remains poorly understood considering their diversity; therefore, further studies are required in the future.