title: Chitin in the silk gland ducts of the spider Nephila edulis and the silkworm Bombyx mori.
abstract: Here we report the detection and localisation of chitin in the cuticle of the spinning ducts of both the spider Nephila edulis and the silkworm Bombyx mori. Our observations demonstrate that the duct walls of both animals contain chitin notwithstanding totally independent evolutionary pathways of the systems. We conclude that chitin may well be an essential component for the construction of spinning ducts; we further conclude that in both species chitin may indicate the evolutionary origin of the spinning ducts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, The University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gwilym J G
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vollrath
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D012831:Bombyx / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002686:Chitin / Q000378:metabolism*; D005088:Exocrine Glands / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013112:Spiders / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002686:Chitin