spiderlings and water

[Francois Bourque]

Hello everyone!

i honestly dont know if you guys will be able to help me, the problem is i read something about spiderlings being able to absorb water with their skin but that was some time ago and as far as i remember it was a good source, but i forgot where i read that and i try to remember and its driving me crazy!!

i also remember there was a name for that ability..but i am starting to give up now because i have been searching for this for weeks now and i am strating to think that i imagined all that because everywhere i ask no body knows!! i asked other tarantula forums, insects forums, read info on amphibians, asked entomologist, ordered a entomologist glossary (didnt received it yet)

you guys are pretty much my last option

any ideas?

Francois

[Thomas Pitchford]

Absorbatrix - Absorbatron - Absorbaloff - yeah

I was about to apologise to everyone who wasn't a fan of Doctor Who, but actually it's probably best I apologise to everyone after that one.

Flipping through a few science dictionaries, I see osmoregulation (based on the word osmosis) which refers to things inside an organism that help regulate how much water they intake. As you've indicated, I think there are a couple of different words for osmosis when referring to a particular class of animals and if you'll give me a little longer I might find them in one of these biology textbooks or I'll go ask one of our science teachers.

[Grant Brown]

Osmoregulation is a general term for an organism regulating (deliberate or accidental) it's internal fluid and ion concentrations.

Osmosis is the term to describe how water will flow across a concentration gradient from high>low. Capillary action uses this fluid behaviour and it can also facilitate speedier water movement by pumping water away from the area of low concentration, thus increasing the gradient and speeding up osmosis.

I know woodlice can become waterlogged from taking in to much atmospheric moisture through their cuticles, so it is possible that spiderlings could too as I would assume they have a thinner and more permeable cuticle compared to the thick calcium shell of isopods?

[James Box]

i don't know about absorption, but i believe the reverse happens in spiderlings through their cuticle, as they lack the protective setae the adults have (might've got confused on those details, but the principle i think is cprrect)...which is why spiderlings dehydrate so much more easily than adults, and thus require a more humid atmosphere at first.
but yes i am not sure if they can absorb the moisture in the same way they can lose it, just that moist soil allows them to replenish fluids by drinking at the very least...

oh and Thomas lol...your apology is much appreciated, as despite me loving the new Dr Who series, that has to be one of the worst episodes ever lol

[Phil Rea]

I wouldn't think that spiders in general whether fully developed or spiderling can absorb or take in water through anything but their mouthparts, booklungs or anus (or spiracles for true spiders). Their outer 'shell' is chitinous and extremely hydrophobic.

It would be a bit of a problem misting spiderlings too I would imagine if they absorb water!

James, I think spiderlings tend to dehydrate more easily because at their small size, it is more difficult for them to regulate fluid intake, although I could well be wrong

[James Box]

you're probably right...i was sure i'd read somewhere that they were less able to keep water from evaporating out of their system until their cuticle had developed further, or until the setae had grown...but then i probably mis-read that, or the theory in the book was wrong.

[Francois Bourque]

thanks for the answer guys, still didnt find the exact word for it though, and once i find it, still need to check if it apply to spiderling. i will get my insect glossary soon, i will keep you updated

Francois

[Stanley A. Schultz]

thanks for the answer guys, still didnt find the exact word for it though, ...

Would transpire/transpiration be what you're looking for? From the Random House Webster's College Dictionary (Yes, I know. It's an American English dictionary. But, I don't have a British dictionary on my computer):

transpire
—transpirable, adj. —transpiratory /-spuyr"euhtawree, -tohree/, adj.
/tran spuyeur"/, v., transpired, transpiring.
v.i.
1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of leaves or the body.
3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
4. to be revealed or become known.
v.t.
5. to emit or give off (watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface.
[1590-1600; < MF transpirer < ML transpirare = L trans- TRANS - + spirare to breathe]
Usage. From its earlier literal sense "to escape as vapor" TRANSPIRE came to mean "to escape from concealment, become known" in the 18th century. Somewhat later, it developed the meaning "to occur, happen," a sentence such as He was not aware of what had transpired yesterday being taken to mean He was not aware of what had happened yesterday. In spite of two centuries of use in all varieties of speech and writing, this now common meaning is still criticized by some on the grounds that it arose from a misapprehension of the word's original meaning.

Botanists appropriated the word to mean the transfer of water out of a plant by some means other than simple "bleeding." Hence, willows transpire all over your car to make it sticky and prompt a growth of mildew. And, if the grass is wet in the morning but your car's windshield isn't dew covered it's because the soil is very damp and the grass transpired excess water through it's surfaces to unload a water overload.

In the Tarantula Keeper's Guide, Third Edition (e.g., page 159) we use the term in a parallel sense to mean the transfer of water out of a tarantula's body without perspiring (which they are incapable of) or "bleeding."

Hope this helps.

[Francois Bourque]

Hello Stanley!

First off, i want to say its an honor for me to chat with you! i own your last book, and it is a real pleasure to read, i love the humor, the tips and the new caresheets! it is also very complete. i want to tell you, thank you for the amazing book.

Now for the subject of this thread, its very interesting because at page 255 of your book, you say that spiderling "have not had an opportunity to develop the thick, imprevious exoskeleton of the adult. as a result, they tend to desiccate very quickly unless kept in damp substrate and in very humid condition". This opens the door to my theory because if it can go out, it could probably go in the same way.

Basically, in the book, you are not saying they can do that, but you are not saying they cant do that as well.

for the exact terminology, if we are talking about spiderling absorbing water throught their skin, it would actualy be the antonym of transpiration, when you mentioned that, it gave me a good idea: to look it up on the internet, but, beleive it or not i was not able to find 1 antonym of transpiration, transpire, exhale, etc as you can see, i did find a lot of synonyms, lol

BUT i did find something today!!!

if you look at this site

http://www.tarantulacages.com/basiccare.html

at the "WATERING AND HUMIDITY" section, we can read "Spiderlings less than 1" can absorb water through their feet, so a water dish is not necessary."

i am not saying this person have the truth, he probably read that somewhere like me, hopefully he remembers where!!

i contacted the author of the site and hopefully he will answer me.

Francois