Applied Microscopy

Korean Society of Microscopy (한국현미경학회)
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Fine Structure of the Silk Spinning Apparatus in the Spider Nurscia albofasciata

살깃자갈거미(Nurscia albofasciata) 방적장치의 미세구조

  • Park, Eun-Ah (Department of Biological Sciences & Institute of Basic Science, Dankook University) ;
  • Moon, Myung-Jin (Department of Biological Sciences & Institute of Basic Science, Dankook University)
  • 박은아 (단국대학교 첨단과학대학 생명과학과) ;
  • 문명진 (단국대학교 첨단과학대학 생명과학과)
  • Received : 2009.04.18
  • Accepted : 2009.06.23
  • Published : 2009.06.30
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Abstract

Here we demonstrate the fine structural characteristics of the spigots on the cribellum and its peculiar sieve-like structure at the aspects of the functional significance. The surface of the cribellum is covered by hundred of tiny spigots which producing numerous cribellate silk fibrils. It has been known that the cribellar silk is considered as a quite different sort of catching silk with dry-adhesive properties. By our fine structural observation using the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), the titanoecid spiders have a specialized sieve-like plate just in front of the anterior spinnerets. The other types of the silk spigots were identified as follows: ampullate, pyriform and aciniform glands. Two pairs of major ampullate glands send secretory ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and another 1~2 pairs of minor ampullate glands supply the median spinnerets. In addition, the pyriform glands send ductules to the anterior spinnerets, and the aciniform glands feed silk into the median and the posterior spinnerets, respectively. Characteristically, 2 distinct types (A & B types) of the aciniform spigots were identified in this spider, and the spigots of the aciniform B type are always detected at the posterior spinneret, however sexual dimorphism for spigot is unlikely to be exhibited in this species of spider.

체판이 있는 자갈거미과 (Titanoecidae)의 거미를 실험재료로 체판류가 지닌 방적장치와 토사관의 미세구조적 특성을 고배율의 주사전자현미경(FESEM)으로 관찰하였다. 살깃자갈거미(Nurscia albofasciata)의 실크 방적장치는 복부의 방적돌기 위쪽에 있는 체판과 3쌍의 방적돌기로 이루어져 있었다. 체판은 정중면을 중심으로 분리된 두 개의 타원형 구조로, 표면에는 유연한 구조를 지닌 큐티클성 토사관들이 조밀하게 분포되어 있었고, 체판에서 생성된 수백가닥의 미세한 북슬털은 피식자의 보행을 방해하는 포획사의 기능을 수행할 것으로 추정되었다. 한편 방적돌기에서는 병상선, 이상선, 포도상선 등 3종류의 실크 분비선이 모든 성별에서 관찰되었는데, 병상선은 전 및 후방적돌기를 통해 연결되어 있었고, 이상선은 전방적돌기를 통해, 그리고 포도상선은 중 및 후방적돌기의 표면을 통해 토사관이 형성되어 있었으며, 성별에 따른 토사관의 다형현상은 확인되지 않았다. 특징적으로 이 종류의 거미에서는 두 종류의 포도상선이 관찰되었는데, 이 중에서 B형 포도상선은 후방적돌기에서만 관찰되었고, 체판의 토사관과 유사한 미세구조적 특성을 지니고 있음이 확인되었다.

Keywords

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