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Sensory Biology Of Whip Spiders (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Ranier Foelix, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Whip spiders belong to a small arachnid order (Amblypygi) that is not well known. Their most conspicuous feature are the elongated, extremely thin front legs (“whips”, or antenniform legs). These are no longer used for walking but are modified extremities carrying various sense organs – very much like the antennae of insects. Whereas hundreds of olfactory hairs are concentrated near the tip of each antenniform leg, large bristles (contact chemo-receptors) are evenly distributed over the entire antenniform leg. The sensory hairs of each antenniform leg contribute about 30,000 small sensory axons which proceed toward the Central Nervous System (CNS). The …