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Review
. 2021 Mar;207(2):179-190.
doi: 10.1007/s00359-020-01456-0. Epub 2021 Jan 2.

Giant steps: adhesion and locomotion in theraphosid tarantulas

Valentina Silva  1   2 , Carlo Biancardi  2 , Carlos Perafán  3 , David Ortíz  3 , Gabriel Fábrica  4 , Fernando Pérez-Miles  5
Affiliations
Review

Giant steps: adhesion and locomotion in theraphosid tarantulas

Valentina Silva et al. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol. 2021 Mar.

Abstract

Theraphosid tarantulas are large spiders that bear dense hairy adhesive pads on the distal parts of their legs: scopula and claw tufts. These structures allow them to climb on vertical smooth surfaces and contribute to prey capture. While adult females and juveniles remain most of the time in their burrows, adult males actively walk searching for females during the reproductive period. Adhesion and locomotion thus play important roles in the ecology and reproduction of these animals. In this paper, we review the current state of the knowledge on adhesion and locomotion in tarantulas, focusing on functional and evolutionary morphology.

Keywords: Adhesion; Evolutionary morphology; Functional morphology; Locomotion; Tarantulas.

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