The visual spectral sensitivity of the Chilean recluse spider Loxosceles laeta

Abstract

Spiders are a large group of arthropods and nearly omnipresent in warm and temperate climates. They rely on tactile and visual information to hunt and breed, but compared to their mechanical senses, little is known about their visual systems. In this study we analyzed the visual spectral sensitivity of the Chilean recluse spider Loxosceles laeta, a synanthropic species posing a significant threat to humans, using electroretinogram recordings of its three eye types and open field tests with localized chromatic illumination for behavioral analysis. The electroretinogram displayed two sensitivity peaks in the ultraviolet and green ranges, but no differences were observed between the three eye types and between male and female specimens. Selective chromatic adaptation reduced overall light sensitivity, but did not support the expression of more than one type of rhodopsin in photoreceptors. The open field tests revealed a preference for corners over side areas, and an increased exploration of open field areas illuminated by shorter wavelength (violet to green) light compared to non-illuminated areas, while no behavioral responses to red and near-infrared light were observed. These data suggest that L. laeta has monochromatic vision without spectral specializations in its three secondary eye pairs.