Burger Matthias, Nentwig Wolfgang, Kropf Christian
Zoological Institute, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
J Morphol. 2003 Jan;255(1):80-93. doi: 10.1002/jmor.10048.
Female genital structures with their allied muscles of the haplogyne spider Opopaea fosuma are described. A functional explanation of this system is given, which indicates that cryptic female choice may occur in these spiders: the anterior wall of their spermatheca is strongly sclerotized and possesses a cone-shaped hole in its upper part. A transverse sclerite that serves as muscle attachment bears a nail-like structure and lies in a chitinized area of the anterior wall of the uterus externus. Muscle contraction presses this nail into the hole of the spermatheca. In this way, the uterus externus gets both locked and fixed. Furthermore, as this occurs the copulatory orifice is enlarged and the resulting suction probably leads to previously deposited sperm being drawn from the spermatheca and dumped. This is a common mechanism used by females to influence a male's chances of fathering their offspring in a process known as cryptic female choice.
描述了单性生殖蜘蛛Opopaea fosuma的雌性生殖结构及其相关肌肉。给出了该系统的功能解释，这表明这些蜘蛛可能存在隐性雌性选择：其受精囊的前壁强烈硬化，上部有一个锥形孔。作为肌肉附着点的横向骨片带有一个钉状结构，位于子宫外壁前壁的几丁质化区域。肌肉收缩将这个钉子压入受精囊的孔中。通过这种方式，子宫外壁既被锁定又被固定。此外，当这种情况发生时，交配孔会扩大，产生的吸力可能会导致先前储存的精子从受精囊中被吸出并排出。这是雌性在一个被称为隐性雌性选择的过程中影响雄性成为其后代父亲几率的常见机制。
