title: The synganglion of the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa (Arachnida: Salticidae): Insights from histology, immunohistochemistry and microCT analysis.
abstract: Jumping spiders are known for their extraordinary cognitive abilities. The underlying nervous system structures, however, are largely unknown. Here, we explore and describe the anatomy of the brain in the jumping spider Marpissa muscosa (Clerck, 1757) by means of paraffin histology, X-ray microCT analysis and immunohistochemistry as well as three-dimensional reconstruction. In the prosoma, the CNS is a clearly demarcated mass that surrounds the esophagus. The anteriormost neuromere, the protocerebrum, comprises nine bilaterally paired neuropils, including the mushroom bodies and one unpaired midline neuropil, the arcuate body. Further ventrally, the synganglion comprises the cheliceral (deutocerebrum) and pedipalpal neuropils (tritocerebrum). Synapsin-immunoreactivity in all neuropils is generally strong, while allatostatin-immunoreactivity is mostly present in association with the arcuate body and the stomodeal bridge. The most prominent neuropils in the spider brain, the mushroom bodies and the arcuate body, were suggested to be higher integrating centers of the arthropod brain. The mushroom body in M. muscosa is connected to first and second order visual neuropils of the lateral eyes, and the arcuate body to the second order neuropils of the anterior median eyes (primary eyes) through a visual tract. The connection of both, visual neuropils and eyes and arcuate body, as well as their large size corroborates the hypothesis that these neuropils play an important role in cognition and locomotion control of jumping spiders. In addition, we show that the architecture of the brain of M. muscosa and some previously investigated salticids differs significantly from that of the wandering spider Cupiennius salei, especially with regard to structure and arrangement of visual neuropils and mushroom body. Thus, we need to explore the anatomical conformities and specificities of the brains of different spider taxa in order to understand evolutionary transformations of the arthropod brain.
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute and Museum, General and Systematic Zoology, University of Greifswald, Anklamer Straße 20, 17489 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: philipsteinhoff@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Philip O M
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute and Museum, Cytology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstraße 23, 17487 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: andy.sombke@gmx.de.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sombke
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Biozentrum Grindel, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liedtke
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Biozentrum Grindel, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jutta M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute and Museum, Cytology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Greifswald, Soldmannstraße 23, 17487 Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harzsch
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute and Museum, General and Systematic Zoology, University of Greifswald, Anklamer Straße 20, 17489 Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: gabriele.uhl@uni-greifswald.de.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Uhl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005724:Ganglia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology; D006653:Histology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D019581:Neuropil / Q000166:cytology; D013112:Spiders / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography
keywords: Araneae; Brain; Central nervous system; Neuroanatomy; Visual neuropils