Whereas spiders are identified for his or her tactile and vibratory senses, their sense of odor has not been effectively researched in any respect. Solely comparatively few behavioral research have been printed displaying that spiders can understand pheromones and might be able to odor prey or predators. Much less is understood concerning the nature of their olfactory neurons and sense organs (sensilla), and nothing is understood about how and the place olfactory data is processed within the spider’s central nervous system. This comparative anatomical research is the primary to explain presumed chemosensory glomeruli within the central nervous system of spiders. Such glomeruli are the anatomical hallmark of olfactory processing in different taxa. This research finds presumed olfactory glomeruli residing ventrally in every neuromere of the legs and pedipalps (feelers) of all spider households examined. Not like olfactory glomeruli in most bugs or vertebrates, in spiders, these presumed chemosensory glomeruli are sometimes elongated reasonably than spherical. Anterograde tracing of neurons originating from chemosensory sensilla on the legs reveals that these presumed chemosensory glomeruli are equipped by main chemosensory afferents, no less than a few of which can provide multiple glomerulus. As well as, a beforehand described central construction, known as the Blumenthal neuropil and presumed to obtain hygro- and thermo-sensory enter, is right here proven to additionally comprise glomerular parts. A number of of those central Blumenthal glomeruli are significantly giant in male spiders. In analogy to insect macroglomeruli, this implies that these glomeruli is likely to be concerned in processing pheromone data. These findings are mentioned with regards to insect and vertebrate olfactory data processing.
Gronenberg, W. (2026). Presumed Glomerular Neuropils within the Central Nervous Programs of Spiders (Araneae). Journal of Comparative Neurology, 534(1), e70122. https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.70122
