background
One of nature’s most powerful secretions, Venom has played an important role in the evolutionary success of many animal groups, including spiders. However, unlike venom spiders, spiders of the family Uroboridae appear to be catching their venom and catching their prey by regurgitating the widespread silken and refluxing of poison aspirates throughout the prey package. A general hypothesis assumes that toxins may have been reassigned from toxins to alternative secretions such as silk and digestive fluids. However, whether uroboride retains toxic toxins and the underlying mechanisms of prey immobilization remain unresolved. Here, we adopted an interdisciplinary approach to assess the absence of venom glands. Uluborus Plumipestoxin gene expression and toxicity of digested proteins.
result
Our findings confirm it U. Plumipes Although there is no venom device, neurotoxin-like transcripts were highly expressed in the digestive system. Midgut extract had toxic levels comparable to the toxic extract Parasteatoda tepidariorum. However, no inhibitory effects on sodium or potassium channels were observed, indicating different toxicity mechanisms.
Conclusion
These findings support the hypothesis that spiders of the family Weroboridae lost their poison device, while retaining the toxin-like genes. The strong toxicity of digestive fluid, a property preserved throughout the spider, is likely to compensate for the lack of venom, ensuring effective prey immobilization and digestion.
Xiaojing Peng, Ludwig Dersch, and Josephine Dresler et al. Beyond the Poison Fang: The Uroboridae Spider Loss of Toxicity, Not Toxic, Preprint Available in Research Square, April 10, 2025 (Version 1) [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5827646/v1]
