A biosemiotic interpretation of certain genital morphological structures in the spiders Dysdera erythrina and Dysdera crocata (Araneae: Dysderidae)

Abstract

AbstractA biosemiotic approach to the interpretation of morphological data is apt to highlight morphological traits that have hitherto gone unnoticed for their crucial roles in intraspecific sign interpretation and communication processes. Examples of such traits include specific genital structures found in the haplogyne spidersDysdera erythrina(Walckenaer 1802) andDysdera crocata(Koch 1838). In bothD. erythrinaandD. crocata, the distal sclerite of the male bulb and the anterior diverticulum of the female endogyne exhibit a striking, previously unreported correspondence in size and shape, allowing for a precise match between these structures during copulation. InD. erythrina, the sclerite at the tip of the bulb and the anterior diverticulum are semi-circular in shape, whereas inD. crocatathey are rectangular. From the perspective of biosemiotics, which studies the production and interpretation of signs and codes in living systems, these structures are considered the morphological zones of an intraspecific sign interpretation process. This process constitutes one of the necessary prerequisites for sperm transfer and the achievement of fertilization. Therefore, these morphological elements deserve particular attention as they hold higher taxonomic value compared to morphological traits of the bulb for which a relevant role in mating and fertilization has not been proven. Thus, an approach to species delimitation based on biosemiotics, with its specific evaluation of morphological structures, provides new insights for the multidisciplinary endeavour of modern integrative taxonomy.