16.12.2021

This is what an unfertilized spider egg look like

In the following we would like to show briefly what can be seen in an unfertilized cocoon of a tarantula and how you can recognize that it is not fertilized. We used a cocoon of a Pamphobeteus sp. "mascara" which was filled with unfertilized eggs despite mating. We show the yolk clods (= DS: Pic 1 & 3) and the perivitelline fluid (= PV: Pic 2) with the fine-grained yolk. Why the eggs or their furrow cells did not develop remains unresolved. However, we will try to show the development in the eggs on other spider cocoons in the future. An excellent source to learn about these aspects of the biology of our animals is always the book "Biology of Spiders" by Dr. Rainer F. Foelix.

Reference:

Foelix, R. (2010): Biology of Spiders. Oxford University Press