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Spiders, their venom and their silk pose many unsolved questions for science. A new study provides clues to better understand these eight-legged creatures.
The genetic material of some spiders is similar in size to that of humans. Bioscientists at Trier University have now succeeded in revealing the complete blueprint of three unusual spiders: the yellow sac spider (the only venomous spider in Germany), the feather-legged lace weaver (one of the few spiders without venom glands) and a mesothela (lived before the dinosaurs). The research results from Trier could help to find out more about the composition of spider venom or the production of spider silk, for example.
‘There are still many unresolved questions about spiders. However, science often pays less attention to spiders than other animals,’ says Yannis Schöneberg. The Biogeography researcher at Trier University is fascinated by the eight-legged creatures that many people are afraid of. ‘There are more than 52,000 spider species worldwide. But the genome, i.e. the genetic material, is only available for very few of them,’ says Schöneberg, explaining what, among other things, makes spiders interesting for him. Very fundamental questions, such as which spiders actually belong to a species and how the species have evolved, are still unanswered. The fact that the scientists in Trier have now published the blueprint of the three spiders is the foundation for further research.
Research was a jigsaw puzzle
Despite the support of a supercomputer and artificial intelligence, decoding the genome was a real puzzle that took the researchers many hours. The individual pieces of DNA had to be organised and the beginning and end of the genes identified. ‘As most of the methods used to decode the genes were developed for humans and the spider genome is very large, this was not at all easy,’ reports Schöneberg. He and the Biogeography team came across an interesting mutation in the so-called Hox genes, which are responsible for the categorisation of body parts. One of the researchers' aims is to better understand the evolution of spiders: Why does the body structure of spiders differ so extremely? Why have a few spiders lost their venom glands - but most have not?
However, the new findings on spiders are actually a by-product of a larger research project. Biogeography at Trier University is currently working on an innovative method to identify new species. So we can look forward to seeing what happens next.
Yannis Schöneberg
Biogeography
E-Mail: schoeneberg@uni-trier.de
Tel. +49 651 201-2913
Study
Yannis Schöneberg et al.: Three Novel Spider Genomes Unveil Spidroin Diversification and Hox Cluster Architecture: Ryuthela nishihirai (Liphistiidae), Uloborus plumipes (Uloboridae) and Cheiracanthium punctorium (Cheiracanthiidae). In: Molecular Ecology Resources, Nr. 1 (2025). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1755-0998.14038
The yellow sac spider is considered the only poisonous spider in Germany.
Photo: Yannis Schöneberg
Photo: Yannis Schöneberg
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The yellow sac spider is considered the only poisonous spider in Germany.
Photo: Yannis Schöneberg
Photo: Yannis Schöneberg
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