Tarantula

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Y. Henaut - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • dimorphism and population size of the mexican redrump Tarantula brachypelma vagans araneae theraphosidae in southeast mexico
    Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad, 2015
    Co-Authors: Y. Henaut, Salima Machkourmrabet, Holger Weissenberger, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    As a general rule, spiders exhibit sexual dimorphism and their populations may differ in size according to season duration and resource availability. However, few studies have focused on dimorphism in Tarantulas. Mexican redrump Tarantulas, Brachypelma vagans, listed in CITES, have an exceptionally wide distribution. Surprisingly, there are no studies on the possible relationship between the abundance of Tarantulas per population and the geographical areas where they are present, or on how the distribution pattern of this spider may affect individual morphological characteristics. Furthermore, there are no studies on sexual dimorphism within the genus Brachypelma. The aim of the study is to determine the existence of sexual and geographical dimorphism in populations of B. vagans. It was observed that the abundance of spiders per population may vary according to the geographical areas where they were recorded. In six localities in southern Mexico, we recorded morphological data on adult Tarantulas. Sexual dimorphism was clearly observed at the site that presented numerous spiders characterized by much smaller females. Since the results of this study demonstrate differences in Tarantula number of individuals per locality in southern Mexico, they make an important contribution to the conservation of this species.

  • megaselia scalaris diptera phoridae an opportunistic endoparasitoid of the endangered mexican redrump Tarantula brachypelma vagans araneae theraphosidae
    Journal of Arachnology, 2015
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkourmrabet, Y. Henaut
    Abstract:

    Abstract Despite the importance of Tarantulas in the areas of medicine and veterinary science, there is very little information on parasitoid-Tarantula interactions. The present study describes the case of an endangered Tarantula, Brachypelma vagans Ausserer 1875, infested by an endoparasitoid in the field. Using DNA barcoding, we identified the parasitoid as the phorid Megaselia scalaris. With more than 500 fly larvae inside the host, this particular infestation can be considered severe. The size range of the larvae indicates infestation by all three larval instars. We discuss the possible mechanism by which the parasitoid is attracted to the Tarantula and make important recommendations regarding improvements in Tarantula-rearing conditions. Finally, this case study exemplifies the efficiency of molecular technology for parasitoid identification.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m'rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    Background In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. Methods This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. Results In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. Conclusions The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m’rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

  • SHORT COMMUNICATION Predatory interactions between Centruroides scorpions and the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans
    2011
    Co-Authors: A. Dor, Sophie Calmé, Y. Henaut, Quintana Roo
    Abstract:

    In the Yucatan Peninsula, the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer 1875 is commonly associated with human settlements, as are the scorpions Centruroides gracilis Latreille 1804 and C. ochraceus Pocock 1898. Nonetheless, scorpions are virtually absent from villages showing a high density of Tarantulas. Predatory interactions between these predators could explain the lack of local overlap. To test this hypothesis, we observed the behavioral interactions between B. vagans and C. gracilis or C. ochraceus in experimentally controlled conditions, and we compared these interactions to interactions between the Tarantula and two prey species: cricket and cockroach. For observations, a pre-adult Tarantula was placed in an experimental arena in which we introduced either a scorpion or an insect. In all, 115 trials were performed. We recorded time elapsed and behavioral responses: avoidance, attack, escape, capture, and attack success. Tarantulas preyed on all prey with the same attack success (63.8% 6 0.8%), but they attacked and captured cockroaches quicker and more often than the other prey (87% vs. 50%, and 57% vs. 30%, respectively). Scorpions attacked Tarantulas in 25.5% of occasions, but they were never successful, and were killed in 9% of occasions. We conclude that Tarantulas are potential predators of scorpions. Moreover, in villages where Tarantulas are abundant they might prevent the presence of scorpions. Thus the presence of this non-aggressive Tarantula may be beneficial from the human perspective.

Roberto Rojo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • dimorphism and population size of the mexican redrump Tarantula brachypelma vagans araneae theraphosidae in southeast mexico
    Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad, 2015
    Co-Authors: Y. Henaut, Salima Machkourmrabet, Holger Weissenberger, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    As a general rule, spiders exhibit sexual dimorphism and their populations may differ in size according to season duration and resource availability. However, few studies have focused on dimorphism in Tarantulas. Mexican redrump Tarantulas, Brachypelma vagans, listed in CITES, have an exceptionally wide distribution. Surprisingly, there are no studies on the possible relationship between the abundance of Tarantulas per population and the geographical areas where they are present, or on how the distribution pattern of this spider may affect individual morphological characteristics. Furthermore, there are no studies on sexual dimorphism within the genus Brachypelma. The aim of the study is to determine the existence of sexual and geographical dimorphism in populations of B. vagans. It was observed that the abundance of spiders per population may vary according to the geographical areas where they were recorded. In six localities in southern Mexico, we recorded morphological data on adult Tarantulas. Sexual dimorphism was clearly observed at the site that presented numerous spiders characterized by much smaller females. Since the results of this study demonstrate differences in Tarantula number of individuals per locality in southern Mexico, they make an important contribution to the conservation of this species.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m'rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    Background In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. Methods This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. Results In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. Conclusions The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m’rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

Salima Machkour-m’rabet - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m’rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

  • Chemically mediated burrow recognition in the Mexican Tarantula Brachypelma vagans female
    Naturwissenschaften, 2008
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m’rabet, Luc Legal, Trevor Williams, Y. Henaut
    Abstract:

    Chemically mediated communication is common in spiders but has been poorly studied in burrowing Tarantulas. This study aimed to determine whether chemical cues influence the behaviour of females of Brachypelma vagans , a Mexican species of Tarantula, during encounters with previously inhabited burrows or with extracts from the silk of conspecific females. In laboratory choice tests, female Tarantulas entered a burrow that had previously been inhabited by a conspecific female significantly more frequently than a burrow that had never been inhabited. The identity of the previous inhabitant also affected the number of spiders that chose to enter a burrow. Spiders were quicker to choose and enter a burrow previously inhabited by themselves than a burrow previously inhabited by a conspecific or a burrow that had not been previously inhabited. Hexane, methanol and dichloromethane extracts of conspecific silk elicited different responses from female Tarantulas when extracts were placed on filter paper disks at one end of an experimental arena with a control filter paper disk, on to which the corresponding solvent alone had been pipetted, placed on the other end of the arena. Spiders showed the strongest responses to hexane extracts of silk, with a significant preference to move towards the hexane extract and a significantly greater period of time spent in proximity to the hexane extract compared to the control disk. Overall and in contrast to expectations, Tarantulas were most strongly attracted to the cues left by other conspecific females. As encounters between B. vagans females usually lead to aggression and mortality of one of the participants, we conclude that chemical cues are not signals that are deliberately released by burrow-inhabiting females but may inadvertently escape and cannot be easily suppressed.

Raul Padron - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Lessons from a Tarantula: new insights into muscle thick filament and myosin interacting-heads motif structure and function
    Biophysical Reviews, 2017
    Co-Authors: Lorenzo Alamo, Natalia Koubassova, Antonio Pinto, Richard Gillilan, Andrey Tsaturyan, Raul Padron
    Abstract:

    The Tarantula skeletal muscle X-ray diffraction pattern suggested that the myosin heads were helically arranged on the thick filaments. Electron microscopy (EM) of negatively stained relaxed Tarantula thick filaments revealed four helices of heads allowing a helical 3D reconstruction. Due to its low resolution (5.0 nm), the unambiguous interpretation of densities of both heads was not possible. A resolution increase up to 2.5 nm, achieved by cryo-EM of frozen-hydrated relaxed thick filaments and an iterative helical real space reconstruction, allowed the resolving of both heads. The two heads, “free” and “blocked”, formed an asymmetric structure named the “interacting-heads motif” (IHM) which explained relaxation by self-inhibition of both heads ATPases. This finding made Tarantula an exemplar system for thick filament structure and function studies. Heads were shown to be released and disordered by Ca^2+-activation through myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation, leading to EM, small angle X-ray diffraction and scattering, and spectroscopic and biochemical studies of the IHM structure and function. The results from these studies have consequent implications for understanding and explaining myosin super-relaxed state and thick filament activation and regulation. A cooperative phosphorylation mechanism for activation in Tarantula skeletal muscle, involving swaying constitutively Ser35 mono-phosphorylated free heads, explains super-relaxation, force potentiation and post-tetanic potentiation through Ser45 mono-phosphorylated blocked heads. Based on this mechanism, we propose a swaying-swinging, tilting crossbridge-sliding filament for Tarantula muscle contraction.

  • Fraying of thick Filaments from Tarantula Muscle into Subfilaments
    Acta Microscopica, 1993
    Co-Authors: Raul Padron, Jacqueline Rodriguez, Jose Reinaldo Guerrero, Lorenzo Alamo
    Abstract:

    Native myosin filaments were isolated in relaxing conditions from Tarantula {Avicularia avicularia) striated muscle. These filaments were disassembled by suspending them into low ionicstrength solutions of imidazole. The way how these filaments disassembled was compared with the reported way in which vertebrate (rat and rabbit) thick filaments frayed. Tarantula thickfilaments frayed only near the tips into 4 subfilaments, whereas vertebrate thick filaments frayed into 3 subfilaments completely along the length of the filament, excluding the tip and thebare zone. Tarantula filaments frayed first into two secondary subfilamcnts: and then each of them frayed i~)to 2 more primary subfilaments. This way of fraying permits to discriminate between the 4 possible models proposed on the basis of ultrathin transverse sections for the backbone of the Tarantula thick filament by Guerrero & Padron: Acta Microsc. ](2): 63-83, 1992. The selected model would have a central core (hollow or constituted by a protein different than pararnyosin or myosin) surrounded by 4 rounded features (each on constituted of 2 paramyosin molecules) and two concentric rings formed by 8 and 16 rounded features (each one constituted of 2 myosin molecules tails), totalling 48 myosin tails transversally. It is concluded that thick filaments with a central pararnyosin core like the Tarantula thick filaments are more resistant to disassembly than filaments (with orwithout para myosin content> that do not have such central core.

  • X-ray diffraction study of the structural changes accompanying phosphorylation of Tarantula muscle
    Journal of Muscle Research & Cell Motility, 1991
    Co-Authors: Raul Padron, Nelly Panté, Hernando Sosa, John Kendrick-jones
    Abstract:

    Electron microscopy of negatively stained isolated thick filaments of Tarantula muscle has revealed that phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chains is accompanied by a loss of the helical order of myosin heads. From equatorial X-ray diffraction patterns of Tarantula muscles in the phosphorylated state we have detected a mass movement in the myosin filaments that supports this finding.

Peter Winterton - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m'rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    Background In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. Methods This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. Results In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. Conclusions The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.

  • A case of zootherapy with the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans Ausserer, 1875 in traditional medicine of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in Mexico
    Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2011
    Co-Authors: Salima Machkour-m’rabet, Y. Henaut, Peter Winterton, Roberto Rojo
    Abstract:

    In practically every human culture, the use of arthropods as medicinal resources has been reported. In Mexico, the Mayan people mainly use plants but occasionally also animals and minerals in their medicine. This article is the first to report the traditional use of the Tarantula Brachypelma vagans by medicine men in the Chol community, an ancient indigenous group that inhabits the southeastern part of Mexico. We also describe the utility of such arachnids in traditional medicine. This study was carried out in different Chol communities in the states of Chiapas and Campeche (southeastern Mexico) from 2003 until 2007. We interviewed the local medicine men, patients and non-Chol people in each village visited to collect information about the rituals involved and the effectiveness of this traditional medicine and also their opinion of this traditional medicine. In all independent villages, the people who present an illness called 'aire de Tarantula' or Tarantula wind with symptoms including chest pain, coughing and asthma, were treated by the medicine man (called 'hierbatero') with a Tarantula-based beverage. From village to village, the beverage has a similar base composition but some variations occur in additional ingredients depending on the individual medicine man. Like in all traditional Mayan medicine, the ritual of the ceremony consists of drinking the Tarantula-based beverage and this is principally accompanied by chants and burning of incense. The recipe of the Tarantula-based beverage and the procedure of this ritual ceremony were fairly constant in all the villages visited. Our work shows that despite the Tarantula's bad image in several cultures, in others positive use is made of these spiders, as in modern medicine.