Chemoreception is a main sensory modality in harvestmen but there has been no experimental evidence of attraction to conspecifics by olfaction excluding contact chemoreception as an alternative explanation. Here, using a Y-maze olfactometer we tested whether the harvestman Mischonyx cuspidatus (Roewer, 1913) is attracted to volatiles of conspecifics. We found that males were attracted to volatiles of other males, but not females. Females were not attracted to female's volatiles, but were marginally more often attracted to volatiles of males. Our results help understanding mechanisms in mating and social behavior in the order Opiliones.
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17 June 2020
Detection of conspecifics through olfaction in the Neotropical harvestman Mischonyx cuspidatus (Arachnida: Opiliones)
Jéssica M. Dias,
Júlio M.G. Segovia,
Rodrigo H. Willemart
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The Journal of Arachnology
Vol. 48 • No. 1
June 2020
Vol. 48 • No. 1
June 2020
chemical communication
chemoreception
Laniatores
olfactometer
pheromone