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18 April 2017 Structural characterization of the silk of two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)
Salih Doğan, Mustafa Çağlar, Bülent Çağlar, Çağri Çirak, Erhan Zeytun
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken to obtain information about the structural and morphological properties of the silk of two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) by means of the atomic force microscope (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometer (EDX) and attenuated total reflection Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy (ATRFTIR) techniques. AFM images show that the shapes of silken threads produced by both female and male mites are similar and have non-uniform cylindrical structure. In general, the appearance of silks produced by female mites is smoother than those of the male mites. In addition, it is determined that the silk threads produced by both female and male individuals have single and double stranded structure. There were differences in the thread dimensions of female and male which could depend on the body size of the mites. However, there is no statistically significant correlation between the body size of the mites and their thread dimensions. The silk material was found to consist predominantly of C, N and O elements and minor fractions of Al, P, Cl and K. The ATR-FTIR spectrum of the silk of two-spotted spider mite exhibited characteristic vibrational modes originating from amid groups, which were attributed to random coil and β-sheet molecular conformation in the protein structure of the silk of two-spotted spider mite. Understanding the features of the two-spotted spider mite silks may be of practical importance for the future studies related to biomaterial and material science.

© Systematic & Applied Acarology Society
Salih Doğan, Mustafa Çağlar, Bülent Çağlar, Çağri Çirak, and Erhan Zeytun "Structural characterization of the silk of two-spotted spider mite Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)," Systematic and Applied Acarology 22(4), 572-583, (18 April 2017). https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.22.4.11
Received: 29 December 2016; Accepted: 1 March 2017; Published: 18 April 2017
KEYWORDS
AFM
ATR-FTIR
Characterization
chemical composition
EDX
silk
Tetranychus urticae
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