Paratropis tuxtlensis tarsal trichobothria II

Trichobothria (singular trichobothrium) are elongate setae ("hairs") present in arachnids, various orders of

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s, and myriapods that function in the detection of airborne vibrations and currents, and electrical charge. In 1883,

Friedrich Dahl Karl Friedrich Theodor Dahl (June 24, 1856 in Rosenhofer Brök north of Dahme, Holstein – June 29, 1929 in Greifswald) was a German zoologist, and in particular an arachnologist. The son of a farmer, Dahl studied at the universities of Le ...

observed that they were deflected by the sound waves from a violin and labelled them 'hearing hairs'.

Morphology

Unlike the ordinary setae, which are tapered, the trichobothria have the same gauge throughout their length. They fit into the bottom of a broad and deep cup to which connects a membrane with extreme flexibility which adds an extraordinary mobility to them. The least air vibration is able to get them moving and to excite the small group of sensory cells which ensures their innervation.

Distribution

Trichobothria are present in most orders of the

Arachnida Arachnida () is a Class (biology), class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, opiliones, harvestmen, Solifugae, came ...

, except in Solifugae, Ricinulei and

Opiliones The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an order of arachnids colloquially known as harvestmen, harvesters, harvest spiders, or daddy longlegs. , over 6,650 species of harvestmen have been discovered worldwide, although the total number of ext ...

(Grassé, 1949). Although the distribution of trichobothria on the bodies of arachnids is often used by systematists (especially in Scorpiones and Pseudoscorpiones), few interordinal patterns are apparent (Shultz, 1990).

References

* Foelix, R.F., 1982. Biology of Spiders. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England. * Grassé, P. (1949). Traité de Zoologie: Anatomie, Systématique, Biologie / publié sous la dir. de M. Pierre-P. Grassé. tome VI, Onychophores - Tardigrades - Arthropodes - Trilobitomorphes - Chélicérates. - Masson et Cie, Paris. * Shultz, J.W. (1990). Evolutionary Morphology And Phylogeny of Arachnida. Cladistics 6: 1-38. Arachnid anatomy Arthropod anatomy Insect anatomy Animal hair Sensory organs in animals {{insect-anatomy-stub