A sticky situation: Solifugids (Arachnida, Solifugae) use adhesive organs on their pedipalps for prey capture

Authors

Rodrigo H. Willemart, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Roger D. Santer, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Andrew J. Spence, Royal Veterinary College, University of LondonFollow
Eileen Hebets, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2011

Comments

Published in Journal of Ethology 29 (2011), pp. 177–180; doi: 10.1007/s10164-010-0222-4 Copyright © 2010 Japan Ethological Society and Springer. Used by permission.

Abstract

Solifugids (Arachnida, Solifugae) have unique evertable adhesive organs on the tips of their pedipalps, named ‘suctorial’ or ‘palpal’ organs. Previous studies have shown that these organs enable solifugids to climb smooth glass-like surfaces and have hypothesized that these structures facilitate prey capture. Here, we use high-speed videography to demonstrate that the suctorial organs of Eremochelis bilobatus are its primary means of capturing insect prey. We also present calculations of the adhesive pressure exerted by these suctorial organs during real prey capture events.