07/14/2023
By Irma Silva

The Kennedy College of Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, invites to you attend a Master’s thesis defense by David Blumsack entitled "Genomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of the Ant-Slaying Spider, Euryopis texana, Elucidates Adaptations in Silk and Venom which may Contribute to Predatory Success."

Degree: Master’s
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Time: 3 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: This will be a virtual defense. Please email Jessica_Garb@uml.edu to obtain a link.  

Committee Members:

  • Advisor Jessica Garb, Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Frederic Chain, Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell 
  • Christina Kwapich, Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract: In the context of the total diversity of spiders, few species have evolved diets where they forage exclusively on one prey group. A specialization that has evolved repeatedly in spiders that is particularly fascinating is myrmecophagy (or ant predation) given the inherent dangers associated with hunting ants. This can be seen in members of the genus Euryopis, part of the family Theridiidae. Theridiidae is a family comprising cobweb weavers such as the black widow and common house spider. Unlike other closely related family members, Euryopis has completely lost the ability to spin the cobwebs commonly found throughout Theridiidae. Instead, they use their silk to lasso ants and then kill them with venom. It is likely that Euryopis spiders have evolved adaptations for ant capture in its silk and venom, the molecular tools that spiders use for predation. In this research, I sequenced and analyzed the genome and transcriptome of Euryopis texana to investigate the adaptations that may have evolved to enhance ant predation. I performed differential expression analyses on the transcriptome to identify putative silk and venom gene transcripts and I used additional methods to isolate Euryopis sequences homologous to those encoding silk and venom proteins in other family members. Putative venom gland gene transcripts of Euryopis texana encode proteins similar to those found in other theridiid genera such as the black widow but were seemingly less diverse in number. It was also found that Euryopis texana may contain a modified complement of spidroins which may aid in prey capture.